I Would Have
by A Moose Can't Be A Ranger
Summary: Angela returns from Europe after hearing from her father that Shawn was going to propose. Shawn believes Angela is never coming back so to get over her he starts going out with Casey, a girl he met when he moved to New York. What will come about with Shawn with Casey, but still in love with Angela? *My first Boy Meets World fanfic. A lot better than it sounds! I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my first **_**Boy Meets World**_** story. I don't have much experience writing in these characters' point of views, but I hope I do them justice and whoever reads this, is comfortable with how I tend to make the characters speak and act and such. **

**Let me know when I seem to be out of character, so I can fix it and continue on properly.**

**I hope you all enjoy this.**

**Also, I haven't read any of the other **_**Boy Meets World**_** Fanfics on here, so if I take someone else's idea, it's on complete accident and I apologize. **

**On we go!**

* * *

Angela was sitting outside her house on her porch. Her coffee cup was sitting between her cupped hands as she stared out at her neighborhood. She saw a little boy across the street, waving at his brother to hurry along. She watched them for a second. The boy, a few years younger than the other, was waiting for his seemingly older sibling to meet up with him at the end of their driveway. His curly hair stuck in place as the wind blew gently. His brother's hair swooped and Angela's expression saddened as she recalled Cory and Eric. That's who the little boys reminded her of.

She sighed and shook her head to herself.

She missed her friends greatly and a lot of things seemed to remind her of them all the time. Like the one time she went shopping with her father and heard a dad scold his son after he caught him trying to sneak beer into their cart.

It was so much like Alan, Cory's father, when he yelled at Shawn and Cory for getting drunk that night a while back. She always had them on her mind, especially Shawn. Angela spent most of her time just hanging around her new home, reminiscing on the times she had with Shawn. The kisses they shared, the talks they had, the way he'd hold her and make her feel safe and warm. She longed for that. She missed it.

Shawn was the only boy she had ever loved.

She didn't think she could ever love someone so much.

But she did and it was him. He was the one.

Being so far away from him made her sick to her stomach and made her chest ache with pain. She tried not to speak much about how much she missed him and her friends because this was her only chance to spend some quality time with her father. She needed this time, but she always had that sense in the back of her mind that she had made the wrong choice.

Maybe she should've stayed back.

Maybe she should've stayed with her friends.

Maybe she should've stayed with… Shawn.

Heaving a lonely sigh once again, Angela picked up her cup and took a sip, crossing one of her legs over the other as she sat at the table on her porch.

Sergeant Moore watched his young daughter from their screen door. He could tell by the look upon her face that she was thinking about Shawn and all her friends she had left behind months ago. He thought this would be their time to get to know one another better and get back on foot with their relationship, but each day, he saw that his daughter got sadder and sadder as she sat alone at the same spot, everyday.

He wished he could do something to help her, but he still wanted her to be here with him, at least until this year was over. They had already been here for seven months, but it seemed just like yesterday that they first arrived here and Angela had said farewell to everyone back in Philadelphia.

"_Angela?" _

Angela turned her head slightly towards her father as he exited the house and walked out onto the porch. She glanced back at her warm coffee.

"Yes, daddy?" She said with a nonchalant voice. She was trying so hard to cover up her emotions and not seem so down in the dumps. She didn't want her father to think she didn't want to be here with him. She did, but she wanted to go back to Philadelphia or wherever her friends were more than she wanted to be here in Europe.

Sergeant Moore took a seat across from Angela and held his hands together as he set them in front of him on the table. He looked down for a second, not uttering a single word as Angela stared at him, waiting for him to respond. He finally took a deep breath and looked at his daughter calmly.

"Sweetheart, there's something I need to tell you."

Angela's brow raised. "Oh? What is it?"

"You know, right before we left, Shawn came into your room looking for you…"

"Yeah, I know."

"Yes, but what you didn't know, is that he and I talked right before you came in there. Honey, Shawn wanted you to stay behind and be with him. He came in there to tell you this, but-"

Angela hardened her expression.

"But what?" Her voice was close to shaking. She didn't know why, but hearing how Shawn wanted her to stay, really had her worked up already. She hadn't seen him in so long, just hearing someone else say his name brought her so many emotions.

Her father took another deep breath and said, "See, I know you and Shawn write to each other often and once in awhile, you talk to each other on the phone-even though it costs me so much money for those long distance phone calls." He said with a sincere smile. Angela gave a sighed chuckle and nodded for him to continue. "But honey, Shawn came in there to tell you he wanted you to stay and I told him this could be our only chance to be together as a family again. I'm sorry I hadn't been there for so long, but I really wanted this time to be about us, but I know you're hurting and I hate that. I know you miss your friends and the boy who loves you more than life itself."

"Daddy… What're you getting at?"

Angela's heart was picking up speed and at each pump, time started to stay even more still and it seemed like it was taking her father forever to get to the main point of all this.

"Shawn was going to ask you to marry him. I told him that if he thought that he could support you and you guys could provide for each other that I'd step aside and let you be with him instead of me."

"H-He was going to what?" Angela's nerves were kicking in and her heart beat was sounding in her chest. The blood in her ears was swirling around violently. She could hear every single thing moving around and pumping and squishing around inside her body.

Sergeant Moore placed his large hand over Angela's. "He was going to propose, Angela. Shawn was going to ask you to marry him."

"Then why didn't he?"

"I guess the boy decided this was more important."

Angela glanced down at the dainty table top and unlatched her hand from under her father's and left her cup on the table as she got up out of her seat and walked into the house without another word. She walked down the hallway and went into her bedroom. She didn't even shut her door as she sat down on her soft bed and just started crying. She missed Shawn so much and if she had known that he wanted to marry her, she would've stayed. She wanted to be with her father too, but Shawn was just so much more important to her. She didn't know how much it'd hurt to be away from him and everybody else she cared so much for.

Hot tears streamed down her face and she cupped her hands over her eyeballs and just let the emotions proceed from her eyes.

Her father walked back inside the house and went straight to her bedroom.

He stood outside her door, watching her cry.

"Angela…"

"J-Just go away…" She wept out. "Just l-leave me alone…"

"Angela, it's alright."

"No, it's not alright!" She shouted at him. She couldn't help it. She had been feeling vulnerable for way too long. She was going to tell her father exactly how she felt. "I-I miss Shawn so much, daddy. How could I possibly be fine when he wanted me to stay so badly? He wanted to marry me. Marry me! He loved me so much and I love him." She wiped at her face and stared down at her now cold hands. "I would've stayed… I would've married him."

"Would you have?" Strict-vocaled, Angela's father stood in front of her now. "Would you have really been prepared to marry him so quickly? Angela, I don't think so. I know you. I know you love him, but I don't think you would've been ready to marry him at that time."

Angela frowned.

"Then obviously you don't know me as much as you think you do. I would've. If he had actually asked…"

Her father sighed and sat down beside her.

He stroked her hair gently and kissed the side of her forehead.

"No, honey, I don't think you would have said yes. But what about now? What if he had asked right this minute?"

Angela didn't say anything. Maybe her father was right. Maybe she's just fooling herself. As much as she cares for Shawn, maybe she just isn't ready for that kind of commitment. Maybe she just thinks she is, or maybe…

"I would say yes." She told him as she faced her father.

* * *

**Author's Note: I know it's not that long, but not all the chapters will be. I hope this is a good enough start. Tell me what you think thus far! I really do appreciate the feedback and I hope you guys have the time to leave a comment or some constructive criticism. **

**Thank you for reading and please wait patiently for the next chapter. **

**:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'll try not to make it a habit to put author's notes in the beginning of each chapter. If I must address something, I might to do that though. Also, please take the time to review this story if you can. I love feedback and I'm very lonely, haha :) So, it makes my day to see comments on my work. **

**Thanks!**

* * *

"Shawnie!" Cory's voice could be heard from the kitchen as he hurried down the hallway to greet his best friend. Shawn laughed a little as he saluted Cory playfully. Topanga rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same as the two friends embraced each other.

Shawn had gone off to Georgia for about two months.

He had met some girl from Topanga's law firm over the summer that she was working there. Being an intern, Topanga had a lot of people she had to know and met Casey, her supervisor's niece. They hit it off well and became good friends. She even brought Casey along with her when she and Cory and Shawn would go out together.

Shawn especially liked her. They became friends as well and she seemed to get along with everyone, even Eric, who was staying in the same apartment building as Casey. It wasn't that far from the apartment that Cory and Topanga were living in.

Casey had Topanga look after her place while she went to visit her brother in Georgia, where she was from originally. She had asked them all to come, but Cory, Eric and Topanga declined, Topanga promising to watch after her apartment instead.

Shawn, however, agreed to go with her so she wouldn't be alone on the long trip down there. She didn't really have the money for plane tickets, so she was to drive from New York all the way down to Georgia. Shawn didn't like the fact she was going alone, so he told her he'd go with her, which she was excited about.

Being gone for nearly two months, Cory was extremely glad Shawn had returned because he would never shut up about him while he was gone. It got on Topanga's nerves, but she knew how much her husband cared for his friend, so she tried so hard not to let him drive her crazy, ever though she has come close to shoving a whole cake down his throat when he wouldn't quit talking about the time he and Shawn had one of the best games of basketball when they were thirteen.

"Good to have you back, Shawn. Really." Topanga said, hugging him after Cory released him.

"I'm glad to be back. Georgia's amazing though, guys. Casey's brother is really cool and they took me down to Savannah and we went to the beach. It's really cool down there in October. We went down there a few times during that month."

"Tell us all about it, Shawn. Come on into the kitchen first though." Cory led Shawn into their small kitchen and they sat down at the table. Topanga began making some tea for them all as she listened to Shawn explain the wonderful time he had down there in Georgia for two months. He explained how in November, on Thanksgiving, they had the biggest turkey he had ever seen. He said he could barely finish his entire plate. She smiled at the thought and recalled when Shawn phoned them on that day and said he really missed them and wished they were there with him. They wished he had been here with them for Thanksgiving, but she was glad he had a great time with Casey.

After about an hour of talking about what Shawn and Casey and her family did down in good ol' Dixie, Shawn finally called it a day. He promised to get Casey to explain some of the other things they did while away for half the fall season.

Cory was so giddy though. He kept nodding and listening and smiling as Shawn went on for an hour.

Topanga couldn't help but feel sorry for Shawn. He was going to be smothered to death because Cory will want to be around him all the time. More than he ever has.

* * *

"Oh, oh! He was terrible! He couldn't figure out how to catch the fish with his bare hands. It was sooo funny, guys. I wish you had seen him struggle."

"Hey, now that's not fair. It's harder than it looks."

Shawn laughed as Casey told his friends the rest of the stuff they did. Cory and Topanga were having an amazing time laughing and talking over what Shawn and Casey had experienced.

They all were comfortable sitting in Casey's living room, sipping at their beverages casually.

"How's your brother doing?" Topanga asked Casey as Cory had his arm draped around her protectively.

Casey nodded, saying, "Fine. Oh, he's doing fine. He finally was able to clean out the old shed in his backyard where he could store his stuff. I've been telling him for years to do that so he wouldn't have to stuff all that crap in his basement."

"He told me it was more like you were complaining to him to clean it up." Shawn teased as Casey smacked his shoulder playfully.

"Ah, shut it, Hunter."

Shawn chuckled.

"Fine, whatever." He said with a sly smirk.

Casey rolled her eyes. "So, where's-"

"ERIC HAS ARRIVED!"

Everyone turned towards the door as Eric burst through suddenly. He grinned as he saw Casey and Shawn and threw his arms up in the air. "'Ey, guys! Looong time." He winked.

"Hello, Eric." Shawn said.

"What'cha doin'? How was the trip? Did you bring me back something?" He asked quickly, causing Casey to giggle. She stood up and greeted Eric with a friendly hug, in which he wrapped his arms around the skinny brunette and smiled like a little school boy. Once she released, she headed over towards the counter and grabbed a bag off of it. She walked over to Eric and brought out a small box from the bag and handed it to him.

His eyes brightened and he opened the box like a child on Christmas morning.

"Oh, cool! A… A, um… What the hell is this?" He asked, holding the object in his hand and rotating it as if examining it.

"It's a keychain, you dope." Casey said, not trying to offend Eric.

Eric held the misshaped, oval keychain in his palm.

"What is it though? What's on it?" He questioned, cocking a brow.

"It's the carving on Stone Mountain. We visited there while in Georgia."

"Oh. Well, cool, thanks!" Eric happily pulled his keys out and placed the small souvenir on them. "I probably got the best gift out of all of you. What did you two losers get?" He mocked his brother and sister-in-law.

"We didn't get anything…" Cory answered.

"Ha ha! They like me better than you!" Eric taunted in a sing-song voice, plopping down on the couch beside Shawn.

Cory rolled his eyes.

"Why didn't we get anything?"

"We didn't think you'd like the stuff they had. They had some crappy stuff down there in the stores we went to."

"Oh, right. But you could have at least gotten the two of us a keychain."

"Now, Cory-"

"Quiet, Topanga. I'm talking." Cory said as he turned back to Shawn.

Topanga frowned and narrowed her eyes at her husband. Cory, suddenly realizing what he had just done, smiled at his wife.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to be so rude."

"That's okay, Cory. All is forgiven. For now…"

"What?" Cory's face flashed into a fearful expression. Topanga smirked and Casey chuckled at Cory's misfortune.

"Hey, look, I'm sorry we didn't get you guys anything."

"We just thought you'd appreciate something better than just keychains, but they didn't have anything that we thought you two would like." Casey finished Shawn's sentence.

"No, it's alright. Cory's just being a big baby." Topanga said, grabbing Cory's face with her hand and squeezing his cheeks together as she made baby noises at him.

Shawn grinned and glanced over at Casey.

He had to admit, he had a great time with her. She had really become a great friend to them over the months they had moved here. But he couldn't help but still feel a void. He still woke up in the middle of the night and sat in the slightly lit room for hours just thinking about… _her_.

He missed Angela so much.

He still couldn't help but feel like a part of him had been surgically removed from his spirit and that the only way to return it, was to reattach it. He wanted Angela back in his life. He still talked to her on the phone and wrote to her every single day, but it wasn't enough. He still wanted her to be beside him, not on the opposite side of the world.

Shawn still loved Angela with all his heart and it still hurt him that he had let her go.

Shawn was prepared to marry her. He might've been too young or he might not have been necessarily ready for it, but he still wanted it. He wanted to be with her for the rest of his life.

He still did, but she was off in Europe and he had already said goodbye right when she walked out the door. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do. He wasn't ready for her to go, but he had to let her do this. He couldn't take that time away from her with her father. He knew how much it meant to her to spend that precious time with him. It was the right thing to do, or so he had convinced himself it was.

It was still so hard to think about that moment when he said he loved her and watched her walk right out those doors. Saying goodbye under his breath was the last thing he said to Angela, though not directly to her.

He'd lost so many people in his life and right when things started to come around for him, they turned to mud.

Shawn was the worm in that mud pile. He was surrounded by bad things in his life and he couldn't escape them nor do anything about them. It was always like that for him and sometimes he wondered if he was meant to be on this earth in the first place. He didn't have much going for him. He had no parents, Jack joined the Peace Corps, his best friends were married, his other siblings were gone, the love of his life left, and he was just alone.

Even surrounded by Eric, Casey, Topanga and Cory, Shawn still felt like he was the lone wolf of the pact and felt like he was alone all the time.

Angela was the best thing to ever happen to him and she was gone and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

He had let her go and he wasn't quite willing to move on…


	3. Chapter 3

Wrapping her arms around her father, Angela buried her head into his chest and hugged him for a long time. He rested his head on hers and held her in his arms, swaying gently in unison with his loving daughter. He couldn't believe he was letting her do this. He couldn't believe he was actually going to let her go through with this.

She sniffled as she released and picked up her suitcases, looking at her father with tears dotting the corners of her eyes.

Sergeant Moore kissed her cheek and smiled.

"Ready, baby?" He asked her calmly, hoping she'd change her mind, even though he doubted she would after their long discussion at home about it.

She nodded.

"I love you, Angela. You take care now, you hear me? I want you to get there safely and I want you to contact me right when you arrive. Don't forget to call me every day and please be careful." Alvin told her in his fatherly tone.

"I will, daddy. I promise."

"Okay, well… you go on now. I love you."

"I love you too."

And she was off. He watched as she walked away from him with her things. He sure was going to miss her, but he knew he couldn't change her mind on staying in Europe with him.

Angela slowly made her way to the plane. She needed to find her seat and fast before her knees got any weaker from the thought of reuniting with Shawn once she was back in America.

_**Seat 2C.**_

Finally, she located it and shoved her things over her seat then sat down.

This was going to be a long trip…

* * *

Shawn was lying down in his bed, tired, but not falling asleep.

His thoughts were still on the love of his life, Angela.

He was still obsessed with her in his thoughts. He tried not to speak much about her. He honestly didn't want to hear Cory's big mouth on the subject of how he shouldn't have let her go in the first place and all that scolding. He was through with all that. He just wanted to keep it to himself.

Little Cory made his way out from behind the curtain that was the replacement door for Shawn's hallway closet. He wobbled into Shawn's bedroom and snorted loudly to get his owner's attention. Shawn gave a small laugh and patted the bed so Little Cory would make his way to his bedside.

Little Cory walked over towards Shawn and looked up at him with his beady, black eyes.

Shawn petted the top of his pet pig's head and sighed. "I miss her…" He admitted only to the room, himself and Little Cory. "I really, really miss her, Little Cory." Little Cory oinked, earning a small, but weak, grin from Shawn.

It was two thirty in the morning and Shawn was still having a rough time falling asleep.

He just couldn't ever stop thinking about Angela.

As much as he wants to get over the fact that she's probably never coming back, he just can't. He loves her too much to let her go. She was his one and only true love. He fell for her harder than he ever thought he could for anybody. It was the best relationship he ever had with a girl and he wanted it to last forever and day.

Too bad it didn't.

Shawn pushed the covers off his legs and got out of his bed. He made his way to the small kitchen in his tiny apartment that Topanga had rented for him. Over the course of seven months, he had found himself a decent job and started earning money slowly. He was able to pay for the apartment himself now instead of relying on Topanga.

_Come on, Shawn. You just need to stop thinking so much about her. She's in Europe, probably having the time of her life with her dad. She doesn't need you anymore and she'll do a lot better without you… _Shawn thought to himself. He was having a hard time accepting everything, even after so many months of being apart.

Shawn took out some peanut butter from his cabinet and some jelly from the fridge as he grabbed the loaf bread and started making himself a sandwich.

He sat down on the counter top and took a bite of his snack, chewing slowly.

"_**Cory?"**_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_**Thanks."**_

"_**For what?"**_

"_**For being my friend; believing in me and Shawn as much as you believe in you and Topanga. I owe you."**_

That moment stuck in Shawn's mind.

He remembered how Angela hugged his waist as she thanked Cory, saying what she said to him. He knew she meant it, but it wasn't enough.

He remembered how after she said goodbye to everyone else, he was the last she had to say bye to.

She didn't say goodbye. She said she loved him. He was the one that had to say goodbye and he did, but not to her, but after her.

Finishing his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Shawn cleaned up his mess and turned the TV on as he went into his bedroom. He sat on his bed, Little Cory laying on the ground beside it, as he flipped through the channels, trying to find something to make him brain dead so he wouldn't have to think of Angela.

* * *

She finally made it. She finally made it to New York.

Shawn had told her about Topanga, Cory, Eric and him moving to New York. She figured they would with how she believed Topanga would get the summer internship. She was so proud of her best friend.

_Here goes. _She thought to herself as she had collected all her belongings.

She slowly walked out of the airport and waited on the sidewalk, hoping a taxi would drive by soon. Once she spotted one, she waved her hands to get the driver's attention. It didn't work because he picked someone else up instead. _Figures… _She thought as she waited for another taxi.

As soon as she got one, she put her things in the trunk and slid into the back seat.

"Where ya off to, sweetie?" The driver asked with a rough voice, scratching the underside of his chin as he glanced at Angela from his rearview mirror.

Angela shrugged. "I guess to a hotel. A _good _hotel." She added.

The taxi driver drove off as Angela's stomach turned into knots. She was finally in New York and so close to Shawn, wherever he may be. She didn't have a place to stay yet, but hopefully she could call Topanga and find someplace to stay around there. She would need a place to stay while she was here. She couldn't stay with the married couple because they're married. They need their time together and she couldn't possibly stay with Eric because it'd just be too weird for her, and staying with Shawn wasn't what they needed either. Angela had moved out of their apartment while they were attending Pennbrook, so when they ever did get married, they could get a stink hole, just like their best friends.

Angela always found it amusing how Shawn became jealous over that, but she still found it adorably sweet.

She wanted to keep it that way. They could be together, but if Shawn still wanted to marry her, moving in together wouldn't be such a bad idea if they were married…

The cab driver halted the car, exchanging a backwards look at Angela. She paid the man and got out of the car. She went around back and pulled out her suitcases and headed up to the hotel's doors. As she shoved her way inside by pushing on the glass of the door, she was greeted by a man.

"Checking in, ma'am?" A butler tone was set and Angela lifted a brow.

"No, I think I'll just sleep right here on the floor."

Suddenly, the butler-like man dropped his tone of voice and put his hands on his hips.

"I won't take sarcasm from an out of towner, lady. Now are you wantin' a room or not?" Angela was surprised but suppressed a quick smirk.

"Yes, I would like a room. Where can I check in at?"

He pointed towards the counter and Angela walked over there as he picked up her suitcases for her. After receiving a key to a room, she headed to an elevator with Mr. Bellhop here carrying her things for her.

The doors closed and Angela didn't say anything as she crossed her arms and waited to get to her appropriate floor.

"I might as well tell you my name." She heard the bellhop say out of nowhere. This caused her to look at him squarely, brow raised once again. "I'll be serving you while you're here. You oughtta know what my name is at least."

"Then tell it to me, boy. I don't have all day." She responded quickly.

"Jace."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jace. I'm Angela." She said rather bored. She wasn't really in the mood to be talking it out with the bellhop. She had other, more important, things on her mind. Chatting it up with Jace wasn't really on her mind at the moment.

"Angela… Nice name."

"Uh, thanks." She said.

"No problem."

* * *

Casey made her way to the door. She thought everything out before hand. She was just going to come right out and tell him the truth. She was going to tell him that she really, really liked him and that she hoped he liked her back and that this wouldn't mess with their friendship if he didn't.

Oh, how she hoped that he liked her back.

She's had a crush on the guy ever since Topanga told her about him and they started becoming friends.

She'd never felt so connected to another person before. He may not be the most ideal person in the world, but he was good enough for her.

Her knuckle reached the wood of the door and she knocked, waiting for him to answer.

After about a few seconds she heard the chain and locks becoming undone from the opposite side of the door.

Shawn opened the door and smiled as he saw her.

His smile always brightened up her day because it just felt like he only smiled that way _for her_.

She truly was head over heels for the guy.

"Hey, Casey."

"Hey, Shawn. Can I come in?"

Shawn nodded and let the brunette walk inside his small, yet quaint apartment.

"So, what brings you here?" Shawn questioned her. She took a seat on his sofa and he walked into the kitchen. It wasn't that far away, so he'd be able to hear her if she was still speaking normally.

"Just wanted to stop by and speak to you." She began slowly.

"Okay. About what?" She heard Shawn respond as he brought the two of them some Coca-Cola. He handed her one and she thanked him as she opened it up. He took a swig of his and sat down on his comfortable recliner.

Casey thought this would be a lot easier, but even after figuring up what she was going to say, she was at lost for words. She just sat there like a lump on a log, not saying anything as she held her opened Coke bottle between her palms and legs.

Shawn set his drink down on the coffee table and stared at Casey.

"Cas?" He said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Casey took some small, deep breaths.

_C'mon, Cas. You can do this. He does seem to like you back, so why not just go for it? Tell him how you feel. Don't be a wuss. You know you can't keep being that for the rest of your life. You need to take some action. You need to live. LIVE! _

_Now go on and say it. Say that you like him. Say that he's amazing and adorable and that you want to be together. What's the worst that could happen?_

"Well, Shawn, you know how we're really great friends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe we're _too _great of friends."

"Whatta ya mean?"

Casey bit her bottom lip nervously.

Shawn could tell something was bothering her and he had an idea of what it might be. He wasn't the smartest man in the world, but he knew a thing or two about love. He knew that Casey was trying to spill her feelings out to him and he just couldn't let her do that. They had a good thing going for them. He wanted to stay her friend, not be with her. He didn't want her to tell him that she liked him because then the friendship would be even more awkward than it already was since he just put two and two together. He didn't want to lose this friendship.

After not saying anything for a few seconds, Shawn got up and opened the door.

"Casey, I have to be somewhere in a few minutes. Maybe we can talk later." He lied. He wanted her out of there as quickly as possible before she made a mess of their friendship.

Casey's expression turned to disappointment but she nodded and got up off the couch. She tucked her purse under her arm and screwed the cap back onto her Coke bottle.

She walked outside the door and turned to Shawn.

Without thinking, she kissed him on the lips.

Realizing what she had done, she blushed madly and pulled herself away from him.

"S-Sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll just, um… I-I'll just go now." She stammered, rushing away from Shawn.

He was so close.

He could have had her gone away from him, but no. She just had to kiss him. She just had to make things complicated for him. Shawn stared after Casey and sighed heavily.

"Damn it." He cursed under his breath. "This is just perfect…"

* * *

**Author's Note: Please review! I hope you liked it. Thank you :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Jace made his way to the lobby. He had just passed by the beautiful woman's hotel room. He had gotten used to waiting on her for the past three days. She'd been trying to get in touch with someone, but every time she called, the line wouldn't go through. She did, however, go out and search for something. He always remained back at the hotel until she returned.

He couldn't help but be attracted to her.

She was gorgeous!

But he knew she'd never take a second glance at him.

Jace stood around the lobby. It was really slow today, so maybe a quick sit down on the couch wouldn't be such a horrible thing. Right when he took a seat, she walked into the hotel. He pulled himself back up and hurried over towards her.

With a sincere grin, he said, "Angela! Any luck finding what you wanted to find?"

She shook her head with frustration and walked past him to the dining room.

He wanted to follow after her but his boss called upon him and he was whisked away from his crush.

Angela sat down at the bar and laid her head down on the counter top.

Macy, the bartender woman, tapped Angela's shoulder lightly.

"C'mon, babe. No need to be mopey. Now what's up with you today?" She asked with concern. Ever since Angela checked into the hotel, Jace and Macy had made her feel so welcomed. She could say they were somewhat friends. They seemed to like her and they made her feel comfortable here. She was thankful for that.

She sighed with nuisance and lifted her head up slowly.

Macy scooted a small shot glass towards her.

She knew Angela didn't drink much, but maybe the whiskey would numb her emotions a bit so she wouldn't be so upset.

Angela stared at the small cup and then chugged it down as quickly as she possibly could, cringing afterwards at the bitter taste of the alcohol.

"I can't find them, Macy."

"Your friends, sugar?"

Angela nodded and ran the top of her finger around the edge of the shot glass.

"I've tried calling them, but they won't answer. I can't seem to find them when I go searching either. Maybe I should just go back to Europe."

"Now, I don't think that's what you want though, is it?"

"No… But what else is there to do?"

"Why are you trying to find them anyhow?"

"I miss them. I want to see them again… I want to find my boyfriend…"

"Oh, so you have a beau? Well, that's mighty sweet!" Macy proclaimed with her southern accent. From what Angela had gathered, Macy was from Alabama. She had moved to New York to get a higher paying job, but all she could find was a bartending job. She said she'd been working here for six years now and she loved it. She said she might not ever go back to Alabama again.

Angela scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Macy furrowed her brow and placed a towel over her shoulder.

"Why so glum, chum?"

"I left him… My father took me off to Europe with him and I had to say goodbye to Shawn-"

"The boyfriend. Go on."

"We didn't really say goodbye though. We said we loved each other. I was only going to be gone for a year but it's only been seven months and it's tearing me up. I want to find him. My father said that he was going to propose, but he didn't… cuz he thought going away was more important to me than him. But it's not. I want to be with him, but how can I if I can't find him?"

Angela was getting depressed.

She had no leads on where her friends were. The last time she talked to Shawn was a month ago.

The long distance phone calls weren't easy, but with her being in New York now, it should be easier than this. Maybe they were just all busy, or maybe she had the wrong numbers. Topanga had mentioned they had to move to a new apartment building not too long ago, so their phone numbers might've changed and Topanga just hasn't contacted her yet about it.

Macy could tell Angela was feeling really low right now.

She patted her hand and gave a warm smile.

"I'll help you, Ange. It shouldn't be that hard. Do you know where they live or where they use to live?"

"Well, yeah. Shawn and I write to each other. But I don't know where his address is. I can't find it."

"Gimme the address. I'll look it up."

Angela had memorized the address.

She told it to Macy and Macy chuckled with glee. "I know where that is!" She announced, causing Angela to brighten up. Macy told one of the other bartenders to look after the place. She threw the towel off her shoulder and went around the counter to Angela. She grabbed the light, chocolate-skinned girl and rushed her out of the hotel.

She flagged down a taxi and the two of them got in.

Right before the driver drove off, someone opened the door. Angela and Macy face the tanned, dark haired man.

With a toothy grin, he climbed in next to them.

"Mind if I join?" Jace questioned.

Angela chuckled.

"Won't you get in trouble if you leave the hotel?" She answered the Latin friend of hers.

"Not if I'm on break."

"Then come." Macy joined in to the conversation. "Alright, driver. STEP ON IT!"

And then they were off.

* * *

"That's funny..."

"What?" Cory asked his lovely wife as she placed down the phone.

"Angela's dad just said she's not there. Angela's always there. Why isn't she?"

Cory shrugged.

"Maybe she's tired of talking to you." He teased, earning a glare from Topanga. "Kidding, dawling."

"Better be." She said, attacking him with kisses to his cheeks.

Cory giggled and tried pushing her off of him as they began to horse around.

"Why were you trying to call Angela anyway?" He asked her after a moment.

"Well, we moved in here about two months ago. I haven't talked to her since then because our number changed. I wanted to let her know about it so she could call us." Topanga explained to her curly haired spouse.

She rolled off of him and sat up on their couch. She pushed her golden walnut hair behind her ears and cuddled up next to her hubby.

"She's probably just at the store or something, honey. Her father will tell her we called and she'll call back and you can tell her our address, our phone number and whatever else you would like to tell her." He responded. He held her with his arms and leaned his head against hers.

Topanga smiled and nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

It had been three days since Casey had kissed him.

He was still feeling really weird about it.

Casey had been avoiding him.

He needed to talk to her. Avoiding her wouldn't be the right thing to do in this case. He still valued her friendship and he didn't want the kiss to affect that, even though it was weird for the both of them.

Shawn knew he'd have to counter her. He'd have to _make _her talk to him about it. He needed to get their relationship back on track. He didn't want to lose yet another person in his life. He's already lost his dad, his mom, his girlfriend and all his siblings.

It's a long story on whatever happened to Eddie and Stacy. Shawn wasn't that close to them, so he rarely talked about what happened to either of them.

And Jack was off in the Peace Corps with Rachel. So, all his siblings were basically gone too.

He stood in front of the law firm. Topanga was off today, but Shawn knew good and well that Casey was here working.

He climbed up the stairs and entered the front door.

He seemed so small compared to all the men and women in business suits and looking mighty proper compared to his jeans, T-shirt and leather jacket.

His eyes moved around the room as he dug his hands into his pockets.

"Can I… help you, sir?" He heard a man speak from behind him.

Shawn turned around.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. I'm looking for a Casey Higgins. Is she around here?" He asked the nicely groomed man.

The man bobbed his head in a nod.

"She's upstairs. I'll go fetch her."

"Like a dog?" Shawn laughed at his little joke, but the man didn't seem amused by it. Shawn suddenly stopped laughing and looked away, embarrassed. _Yeesh… _He thought to himself as the man went to get Casey.

Shawn stayed put in the middle of the large room.

He noticed a few people look at him with suspicious expressions.

It made him feel awkward and he prayed to God for the man to hurry the hell up and bring Casey down to him.

"Shawn?"

Shawn looked at Casey as she walked over to him.

"What're you doing here?" She asked, not meeting his eyes.

He could tell she was still embarrassed. Just the way she acted around him set it off.

"We need to talk. Now." He stated firmly, looking at her with those bright, blue eyes of his. Casey shook her head.

"No. I-I can't. I have work to do and-"

"Cas, we need to settle this. I don't wanna lose you as a friend. That's not fair."

"Look, Shawn, I'm sorry. I was just… confused I guess… or… something…" She didn't know what to say and that only made it more difficult. Shawn desperately needed to converse with her so they could get this whole kiss incident situated. But she'd need to cooperate with him if she was willing to fix this mess as well.

After several minutes of trying to convince Casey to talk to him about it, she agreed. They went up to her office and she shut the door. Shawn grabbed her wrists and looked at his dead in the eyes.

"It's okay." He said softly. "I don't care that you like me and I don't care that you kissed me."

Casey's lips quivered and she looked down.

"But you don't like me back, Shawn."

"No, but-"

Cutting him off, Casey removed her wrists from his grasp.

"It hurts. I was going to tell you how much I liked you, but now that I know you don't like me back the same way, it really gets under my skin. I don't think I can deal with that. I just don't want to be around you anymore. I may sound selfish or rude, but I just really wanted you to like me too…"

It was tearing Shawn apart. He didn't want Casey to feel like this. He's been through this feeling before. It eats away at you and you get angry and upset a lot and it makes you feel like you just want to crawl in a hole and rot away for the rest of eternity.

Shawn didn't want Casey to go through that.

Angela's been gone for seven months. She most likely wouldn't ever come back now.

Maybe this was God's way of telling Shawn to finally move on and get some options.

Maybe Casey was his ticket out of this slump he's been hiding in.

Maybe this was finally his chance to find someone else and be happy once again.

Shawn grabbed Casey's face and pressed his lips against hers. He didn't feel anything, but maybe it was because he still loved and missed Angela. There was no spark, but perhaps he'd ignite one later on.

Casey's eyes expanded.

She was shocked once Shawn let her face go.

"What… What was that for?" She stuttered with astonishment.

Shawn looked into her deep, green irises and smiled that way he did a long time ago. The same smile he gave every girl that he had ever dated.

"Let's give it a shot." Shawn began to say. "Let's get together and give it a chance."

Casey was stunned. She didn't know what to do, but her mouth did. Her mouth accepted and it was official.

Shawn and Casey were together now.


	5. Chapter 5

Eric was having a hard time painting his sculpture. He saw a kit at the store the other day and thought making it would be a ton of fun. He was wrong though. He was having the hardest time ever sculpting it, drying it and then decorating it.

He had paint all over his face and skin and his clothes. The coffee table he was painting on was covered in all kinds of different colors and he was just not having as much fun as he thought he would.

He stopped working when someone knocked on his door.

Somewhat relieved, he got up off the floor and opened the door.

"Eric. H- Whoa. What happened to you?" Cory asked his brother with curiosity.

Eric peered down at himself and shrugged.

"Painting a mug for mommy." He stated.

Cory shook his head to himself and walked into his brother's apartment.

"What're you doing here, Cor?" Said Eric as he went back to the sculpted mug.

"It's Saturday, remember? We agreed to go Christmas shopping together for everyone. Or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget!" Eric proclaimed with an offensive tone. "I just lost track of the time. Let's go now." He said as he got up once again and went to grab his coat.

Cory grabbed his wrist and looked at him squarely.

"Not until you clean up, idiot." He said to him.

Eric looked at himself and smiled with embarrassment.

"Right…"

He went off to change and clean himself up as Cory waited in his older brother's living room. He was a little glad he could get out of the house for awhile. Topanga was busy with some work stuff at home; Shawn had gone to talk to Casey about something. He assured Cory it was nothing to discuss all that much. That only made Cory even more curious. Shawn usually told him everything. He could trust him! They were best friends after all. Why couldn't he just tell Cory what he was going to talk to Casey about?

Trying to ignore his own thoughts, Cory examined Eric's mug for their mother.

It was made of clay, obviously. The paint on it wasn't dry and he hadn't quite finished it yet.

The exterior of the mug was red and it looked as if Eric were trying to write _Merry Christmas, Mom _around it in multiple different colors. Cory grinned at his brother's efforts of a homemade gift for their mother. He remembered how much she used to love getting things like that from them when they were a lot younger. She always adored the small things.

Maybe Eric had the right angle on this. Maybe making everyone homemade gifts for Christmas this year would be more meaningful and heartwarming than just wasting money on useless things.

This gave Cory an idea.

"M'kay, Cor. Ready to go?" Eric asked as he dusted off his shirt and grabbed his coat.

"Yeah, but I think I have something better in mind than just regular Christmas presents."

Eric lifted a brow and Cory grabbed his wrist and wisped thems away from his apartment, his idea still so fresh in his mind.

* * *

Shawn felt a little weird walking back to his place.

He had just gotten together with Casey and he felt like he was making the worst mistake of his life. Well, one of the worst…

He just felt so empty now.

He wanted this to work out and he wanted to forget Angela because he figured she'd never come back, but he just felt like he was doing something wrong.

Having this terrible feeling set in, Shawn passed by a bar.

"_**Well, maybe you should be a little afraid uh, because, uh, I'M A NAVY DAMN SEAL!" Alan shouted at Shawn as he sat in the chair in the Matthews' living room. **_

"_**That's where I got that from!" Eric interrupted as he clung to his Rachel's side. "He used to yell at me all the time!" **_

_**Alan bent down on Shawn's side and looked at him with that fatherly structure. He narrowed his eyes as he gave Shawn what he had asked for.**_

"_**You want another beer, Shawn? Why don'tcha go get one in the fridge, huh? So maybe you can lose an arm." He raised his voiced a bit as he stared at Shawn. Shawn was looking at him from the corner of his eyes. He was so lucky that Alan was caring enough to actually yell at him over this.**_

_**Shawn had asked and Alan had given him what he wanted. **_

"_**Ooh…" Cory spoke from behind the couch as he gave a slight chuckle to himself. **_

"_**How I'm doin'?" Alan asked Shawn. **_

_**Shawn nodded and said, "Great. You're doing great."**_

_**Alan hardened his tone and strictly told Shawn, "Don't. Do these things anymore. It scares your friends." Shawn noticed Angela walk around to Alan's backside and bend down slightly to look at him with concern. **_

"_**I know it scares me…" She said to him with worried eyes. **_

"_**And they love you." Shawn looked at Alan as he spoke. **_

"_**Yeah." Angela said more cheerfully. She came around the chair and wrapped her arms around Shawn. "I do." She told him into his ear, but loud enough so everyone around them could hear her as well. **_

_**Shawn touched her hand and said, "Never leave." **_

"_**I won't." She responded to him clearly. Her head was pressed up against the side of his face and he felt warm and loved at that very moment. **_

Shaking his head, Shawn passed by the rotten place. He always tried to remember that moment whenever he had the urge to drown his sorrows in the devil's juice.

He never wanted to scare anyone and he always remembered the time he had pushed Angela into the door when he had gotten a little too upset. He hated that feeling and he hated that moment when he scared Angela and shoved her away.

It always shook him to his core and he hated himself when that happened.

He vowed to never get drunk again. He didn't need that and neither did any of the people he loved.

* * *

Angela hurried out of the taxi after paying the driver for their ride.

Macy and Jace came out after her and Angela looked up at the building. She could feel it. She could tell she was here.

Macy grinned for her friend and Angela walked inside.

She didn't know where to start. There had to be someone there that could help her.

She tapped on the first person she spotted.

The woman, about mid-forties, looked at her.

"Um, hi, do you know where a Shawn Hunter lives?" Angela asked as best as she could. The woman shook her head and walked off. Angela sighed and Macy and Jace came up beside her.

"Who's Shawn?" Jace asked. He had a crush on Angela and hearing another guy's name kind of made him a little intense.

"My boyfriend." Angela affirmed to him as she went over to a desk.

Jace's heart dropped about ten feet inside his body.

_Angela has a boyfriend? _His mind started rolling and he was really taken by this sudden news.

A person walked out from behind a door and saw Angela at the desk. They walked over to her and smiled. "Can I help you?" They asked kindly.

Angela nodded.

"I'm looking for a Shawn Hunter. Does he live here?" She asked the person at the desk.

"Of course. He lives in apartment 3220. It's on the third floor. Elevator is over there." The person pointed down the hall and Angela thanked them as she went back over to her friends.

"I found him!" She said happily.

Macy smiled and hugged her.

"I'm so happy for ya, sweet pea! Now," She said, letting Angela go, "you go and see yo boyfriend."

"Thanks."

Angela noticed Jace and walked over to him.

"I'll be back at the hotel later. Thanks for coming with me." She wanted Jace to know that he was her friend. He had been so nice to her while she was at the hotel. She didn't want him to think she just let him tag along for the sake of it.

Jace let out a small chuckle and gave her a side hug.

"I'm glad you finally found who you were looking for. I'll see you at the hotel then later. Bye, Angela."

"Bye guys." Angela said as she ran over to the elevator.

Macy and Jace exited the building and headed back to the hotel where they would be needed.

The elevator came down and Angela went into the lift. She pressed the button for the third floor and waited as it took her to the floor she needed to be on. Finally, the doors opened up and Angela flew out of the elevator. She glanced at the numbers as she briskly walked down the hallway. When she spotted the number the person at the desk told her, she knocked on the door with force.

Nobody answered though.

She stood there, hugging her coat close to her body.

_Why isn't he answering? Is he even home? Do I have the right room? _She asked herself as she just stood there in front of the door with the 3, the two 2's, and the 0 on it.

After about another few seconds she knocked a few more times, but never got an answer. She just assumed he wasn't home. But she knew where he lived, so she'd get her chance later.

She walked away from the room slowly, looking down as she crossed her arms across her chest.

The elevator down the hall dinged and Angela looked up.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw who appeared out of it.

With his regular attire, bright, piercing blue eyes, bearded face and gorgeous figure, Shawn walked out and turned to go down the hallway. But when he turned and spotted _her_, he felt his whole body freeze and numb up.

His heart was pounding and his blood soared all around inside his body.

His feet halted and he seemed cemented to the ground.

Angela stared at him. She took him all in.

The way he had his leather jacket on over his light gray shirt. The way his jeans fit perfectly under the tongue of his brown Timberland boots. The way he had his hands inside his jacket's pockets and the way he stared at her with that intense look on his face.

Her cheeks warmed up and her heart seemed to beat faster than usual.

Shawn couldn't believe his eyes.

Was she really there? Or was he just imagining her there because he misses her so much?

They didn't speak as they walked towards each other.

Shawn and Angela were now face to face. Shawn looked down at Angela's beautiful and perfect face and Angela felt so happy to see him after so many months.

"Angela…?" Shawn whispered out in amazement.

"Yes, Shawn. It's me." She said back to him. He smiled and just grabbed her in a tight embrace. He held onto her and she held back onto him. They stayed like that for a few minutes. They didn't speak and they didn't make a sound. They just hugged for the longest time.

"I've missed you so much. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

Shawn was on the verge of breaking down, but he knew he couldn't do that. He just couldn't.

"What're you even doing here?"

He looked at Angela's face and saw tears-happy tears-in her eyes.

"I came back."

"Why? I thought you were staying in Europe with your dad?"

"I was. But I couldn't stand being there without you. I wanted to stay, but I wanted to be with you _more_."

Shawn was a little surprised.

He didn't think he'd ever see this girl again. He didn't think he'd ever see the woman he loved more than life itself ever again in his entire life. He thought when she left for Europe, she'd stay with her father forever and they'd go on with their lives.

"Angela, I… I don't know what to say…"

Angela looked at him oddly.

"Aren't you happy?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Well, yeah, I am, but I didn't think you'd come back…" He admitted.

"I was only supposed to be with my father for a year."

"But it's only been seven months."

"I couldn't stay away any longer. My father understood though. He helped me pack some of my things and I came looking for you. I had some help though. My friends from the hotel I'm staying at helped me find your apartment from the address on your letters."

Shawn didn't care how she found him. He was just so happy that they were reunited.

* * *

Cory was getting impatient.

The store employee was being a complete bozo and acting as if Cory wasn't even standing right in front of him.

_What does a guy have to do to get some decent service around here? !_

Cory huffed and glared at the employee.

The employee turned leisurely towards Cory and raised a brow.

"Uh, can I help you with something, um, sir?" He asked, wondering why Cory was looking at him like that.

"Yes, I have been standing here for two and a half minutes waiting on you to assist me. What kind of store are you people running here? This is not supposed to be a circus! You can't just be doing whatever you want and not help the customers!"

"Sir, I was checking out that lady-"

"Oh, well then! I guess the lady was more important than me, huh?"

"She was blind… And she was next in line. This is the checkout counter. I'm not the person who helps the customers…"

Cory felt slightly humiliated. He blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh, sorry. My mistake…" He stated as he stalked off like a dog with its tail between its legs.

He caught sight of Eric playing with a toy airplane.

He rolled his eyes and snatched the plane from his brother and set it back on the shelf.

"Eric! Were suppose to be looking for someone to help us, remember?"

"Relax, Cory. It's not that hard. What kind of things are we making everyone anyway?"

Cory rubbed the spots above his eyebrows.

"That's the problem." He sighed. "I don't really know."

"Oh. Well, we should ask someone for help." Eric said.

Cory glared at him but decided to let it go. He knew how his brother could be most of the time; a complete moron.

Eric suddenly sneezed and widened his eyes as he attacked Cory.

Cory squirmed as Eric landed on top of him, a few feet away from where they were just standing.

"Eric, what are-"

And then the light fixture above where they were standing just a moment ago, came crashing down. The bulb shattered and the wires snapped above it, making shocking noises.

Eric crawled off his brother and sat up on the ground. Cory lifted himself up and started to breathe heavily as he stared at the broken light.

"I could've been hurt…" He gulped. "Eric, you… you saved me." He said, turning to his brother.

Eric shrugged.

"I saw it coming."

Cory lifted a brow. "What?" He asked with confusion. "How could you have seen it coming?"

"I can see what happens in the future sometimes when I sneeze."

"How?"

"I'll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to find some presents!"

And then he pulled Cory up and ran off as he dragged his brother behind him.

* * *

Shawn ran his hand over his hair.

He didn't want to admit it, but Angela was right. He had wanted to propose to her before she had gone to Europe. He told her he was only going to do it _then _so she wouldn't leave. This made Angela a bit disappointed, but he assured her that he would have eventually proposed later on in their lives; perhaps when they were more ready.

That seemed to make Angela cheer up.

Then they started to get into a conversation about how she was going to stay in America with Shawn instead of being with her father.

Shawn was trying to convince her that this was her only chance to be with her dad, but she was stubborn. Whenever Angela wanted to do something, she usually ended up getting her way.

As much as Shawn would love to have her back in his life, he couldn't let her pass this opportunity up. He couldn't live with himself if he was considered the reason that she didn't get the time with her father that she really needed.

They'd been sitting here on his couch for an hour now.

He was still trying to persuade her.

"Come on, Angela. You need to listen to me. Go back to your dad. I'll be waiting, I promise."

Angela finally took the chance and stared at Shawn. Their eyes met and they practically melted into one another. She crashed her body against his and laid her head on his chest and she cried.

"I don't wanna leave you again." She stifled to him.

Shawn held her close and kissed the top of her head. He was just trying to comfort her. They had just been reunited and it feels like he was pushing her away. He just wanted her to have this time to herself with her father and just forget about him for the months she'd be away. Once Sgt. Moore's time in Europe was over, he'd see Angela again and they could pick up right where they left off.

He had hope now.

She had come back after he thought she wouldn't. She really does love him and he knew that he can wait for her, as long as he knew she'd return.

"Baby, don't, don't cry." He shushed her. "It'll be fine. You can stay here for a few more days and then we'll call your dad and tell him you'll come back for a while."

Angela agreed and wiped her face.

She felt a bit silly to be crying so much, but she couldn't help it. She was just so overwhelmed with so many emotions. She thought by crying it would just make the feelings a little less bubbled up inside of her.

Shawn smiled and he pulled Angela off the couch.

"Let's go see our friends." He told her as they grabbed their coats and headed outside.

* * *

Topanga opened the door.

In her hand was a small vase she had found in the basement. Since she was off today, she thought she'd do a little cleaning before Christmas, which was in a little more than a week.

Once she opened the door and saw Angela, the vase went crashing to the ground.

It shattered below her and she stepped back slightly, yelping.

"Hey, Topanga, be careful." Shawn said as he walked over the bits of glass. He grabbed Angela's hand and pulled her over it. "I'll get a broom and clean it up." And he was off to the kitchen. Topanga looked at Angela and beamed happily.

Angela returned the smile and the two friends hugged. They clung to each other as Shawn returned and scooped up the mess Topanga had made.

"Oh, Topanga! I've missed you so much, girl."

"I've missed you two, Angela! What're you even doing here? I thought you were in Europe with your dad?" Topanga had asked her friend as they went to sit down on the sofa. Angela took her coat off and nodded.

"I was, but I came here because I couldn't stand being away from you guys any longer. Everything I saw there reminded me of you and everybody else."

"When did you get here? I tried calling you earlier today to tell you our new number and everything, but your dad said you weren't home."

"Yeah, I've been here for the last three days. I've been trying to find you guys, but I really didn't know where to start."

"But she obviously found _me_." Shawn boasted as he sat down beside Angela and put his arm around her shoulders. The two of them leaned back and seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces. Topanga was so happy for them.

She could tell how much Shawn had missed Angela.

Every time she was mentioned, the look in his eyes darkened and you could detect the sadness in them. It always hurt Topanga to see one of her best friends so heartbroken over the fact that he had lost the love of his life when she moved away.

She tried not to talk to him about it because she knows Shawn. You can't talk about everything to him. And there was no way she could fix the problem anyhow. Angela was in Europe and she just couldn't be a miracle worker and bring the two of them back together, even though she wished so hard that she could.

But God pretty much took the matters into his own hands.

He brought Angela and Shawn back together and she was thrilled for them.

* * *

_Eric… Don't do this to me now. Don't make me kill you and bury you in the cemetery down the street! _

Cory was getting irritated.

He and Eric had gotten the help they needed and bought many different supplies to make everyone homemade gifts for Christmas. It'd take them a while to get everyone's made, so they'd have to start on them as soon as possible. Now, if only Eric were as eager to do this as Cory was.

Eric was eating the largest bowl of cereal Cory had ever laid his eyes upon.

It was as if Eric was stalling.

He had already eaten three sandwiches and now he was chowing down on the sugary and chocolatey goodness of some Cocoa Puffs.

Cory slammed his hands down on the counter and looked at his brother with a reluctant stare.

Eric peered over at his brother calmly. His mouth was stuffed full of the little round chocolate balls and he chewed slowly and swallowed.

"May I help you?" He asked Cory casually. He picked up his spoon and hovered it towards his mouth.

Cory slapped the spoon out of Eric's hand and it went plummeting to the floor.

Eric gasped and frowned at Cory.

"Cory! What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? What's the matter with you! ? We need to get started on these little 'crafts' if we're ever going to get them done in time for Christmas!"

Suddenly, a whole argument came out of the two boys.

They were at it for a few minutes until a knock came to the door. They stopped fighting and Eric picked up his spoon and cleaned it off with his shirt. He grabbed his large bowl of cereal and started eating it again as he made his way to the door.

Casey appeared on the other side of the door and Eric removed the spoon from his mouth. "Cathsey!" He announced with his mouth full.

Casey giggled at him.

"Can I come in?" She asked.

Eric swallowed. "Yeah, yeah. Come on in." He said. Cory realized that Casey was here and walked out of the kitchen and grabbed the bags full of art supplies. He ran into Eric's bedroom and hid them under his brother's bed before she could detect them. Once he returned, he saw that Eric and Casey were now sitting down and Eric was still munching on his rather large snack.

"I have some news." Casey said. She was trying her best to keep her excitement on the down low, but she just felt like she was about to bust.

"What's the big news?" Cory questioned as he sat down.

Casey just couldn't hold it in any longer. She jumped up from her seat and her arms flew up over her head and she had the biggest grin spread across her face.

"SHAWN AND I ARE TOGETHER!" She yelled out. She was so full of zest and she was so giddy and cheerful.

Eric's mouth gaped open and his chocolate chunks fell back into his bowl.

Cory stared at Casey. He wasn't quite sure how to take this. Shawn clearly loved Angela. Just because she was gone doesn't mean Shawn had the right to go out and date someone else. He _had _to be with Angela. He just had to!

"What?" Was all Cory could muster.

Casey nodded vigorously and clapped her hands together and just kept on smiling as much as she could.

"I just had to tell you guys! He came over to my job today and we ended up getting together. He's just so sweet and he's, awe, adorable." She was like a little school girl who had a crush on the most popular boy in school.

Eric was certainly jealous.

He had become fond of Casey and he really liked her. Now she's been snaked out from right under him and by whom? _Shawn…_

Cory was, however, not all that much thrilled either.

He was confused.

_Why would Shawn go out with Casey? Yeah, she's a nice girl and all, but I thought he still loved Angela? Maybe that why he went to see Casey today! *GASP* Shawn! _

This was just too much for Cory. He excused himself quickly and said he'd return to help Eric with something-not wanting Casey to know about the plans they had in store for everyone's presents-and then he was on his way.


	6. Chapter 6

Cory ran into his apartment. He already went to Shawn's and found out he wasn't there. The next best place to find his best friend was at his own home.

He skidded to a halt beside Shawn.

Right when he spotted him he started talking.

"Hello, Shawn." He said and glanced towards his wife and Angela. "Topanga, Angela." He looked back towards Shawn and continued talking to him. "Why can't-" He cut himself off and whipped his head back towards Angela. "Angela!" He called out and hugged her.

Angela gave a friendly laugh and hugged Cory back.

"Hey, Cor."

"What, what're you doing here?"

"It's a long story. Let's just say, I won't be staying long." She told him.

"But you have to! Shawnie here has been miserable without you."

"Cory!" Shawn frowned at his friend and Cory rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on, Shawn. I could tell you were miserable. You've just been trying to hide it."

"Usually you come talk to me about these things. Why not this time?"

"I tried." Cory started to say but Topanga cut him off and continued.

"But I wouldn't let him. I told him you needed to get through this on your own."

Shawn softened his gaze.

"Really?"

"Yeah. There was no way Cory and I could've made you feel any better about Angela being gone. You just needed the time to yourself to get over that she was."

Angela looked at Shawn and he met her gaze.

"I guess I'll have another chance to get over it again." He admitted, pecking his girlfriend's lips.

Cory smiled and put his hands behind his back as he started to swing side to side slowly.

"Shawn and Angela sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"Shut up, Cor-E." Shawn replied to his friend in the same sing-song tune.

Cory shook his head slightly and sat down. He was about to go into a deep conversation with Angela about her stay in Europe thus far, but then he remembered Casey. He remembered the whole reason in finding Shawn.

But with Angela here, it might not be such a good place to talk.

He'd need to talk to Shawn in private.

"Hey, uh, Shawn. Can I speak to you in the kitchen real quick?"

"Okay, sure." Shawn said as he kissed Angela's cheek and followed Cory into the kitchen. "What's up?"

"Shawn, do you not realize that you're in a huge mess here?"

"Cory, what're you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and Angela and then you and Casey."

"Casey? What about- Oh. Oh no…"

Cory patted Shawn's shoulder and nodded.

"Yeah. Oh no. Casey came over to Eric's and said you and her were together. Either she's telling the truth or she's a delusional freak who's madly in love with you and has fantasized a little too hard and believes she's actually your girlfriend now. Which road do you want her to be driving down?"

Shawn rubbed his temples, saying 'Oh man' over and over again.

"This is bad, Cory. Really bad."

"Well, I should say so. What were you thinking? I thought you loved Angela?"

"I do! I do love Angela. But I didn't think she'd come back. When I said if I say goodbye to her, that was it."

"But you didn't-"

"Yes, Cory, I did. She didn't, but I. Did. I said goodbye and I didn't think she'd ever come back, but she has come back, but at the worst possible time. Do you realize what I did today? A few days ago, Casey kissed me. She was going to tell me that she liked me, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I made her leave so she wouldn't have a chance to tell me. But she kissed me and sped off."

"That's why she seemed like she was avoiding you…"

"Yeah. I still wanted to be her friend though, so I went down to her job to talk things out, but she didn't want that. I thought that if I actually gave her a chance, I could get over Angela and move on with my life. Now, I think I just made a big mess of things." Shawn sighed heavily and sat down at the table. "What am I going to do? I don't want to hurt Cas. I still care for her."

"I know you do, Shawn. We all do. She's our friend. But you can't just lead her on and then not even mention her at all to Angela. I'm sure they'd understand if you explain to them like you did to me."

"Oh, right, and have Casey think the only reason I decided to go out with her was because I wanted to get over the woman that I clearly still love so much?"

"But it's true."

"True enough to make me lose a friend…"

"Now Shawn-"

"Cory, look. It's just going to end badly either way. I lose Casey because she'll believe I'm using her or I lose Angela because I'm with Casey or I lose both of them because I did the stupidest move I could have possibly done. I don't want to lose Casey as my friend and I don't ever want to lose Angela. I've already lost so many people in my life."

Cory patted his friend's back and gave him a supporting look.

"Alright, Shawn. I understand, but Casey has a right to know and so does Angela. How about I talk to Casey and you talk to Angela?"

"No, I should do it myself."

"That's up to you, buddy."

"Unfortunately."

* * *

Shawn thought it'd be best to break the news to Casey first. Topanga had wanted to take Angela out shopping anyway for a few hours. Angela was eager to get out and explore with her best friend. Cory had gone back to Eric's apartment to start on their gifts, so that left Shawn to himself.

He walked up to Casey's door and knocked.

She answered the door and gave a huge grin.

She pecked his cheek, which only made Shawn want to grumble.

He held it in though and didn't make a sound.

Casey let him in and shut the door as he walked more into her apartment.

"You just can't stay away. Can you, Shawn?" Casey teased as she giggled.

Shawn gave a nervous chuckle and buried his hands inside his pockets.

Casey noticed he seemed a bit distant and walked over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she looked at him from his right side.

"Is something the matter, Shawn?" She inquired with worry.

Shawn shook her off of him and he didn't meet her gaze right away. He was trying to piece all his words together so he could break it to her as gently as he could. It was just so difficult for him though. He didn't want to hurt Casey's feelings and he definitely didn't want to lose her in his life. She was indeed a great friend to him. He just felt like he was going to be losing more than he bargained for if he tells her the truth.

Angela suddenly floated into his mind; her sweet face and her deep, brown eyes. He knew he had to tell Casey because if he didn't, he'd be letting Angela down more than he's expecting to later on.

Shawn set Casey down on the couch. He thought for a moment then said, "Cas, you know how much I care about you. You were one of the best friends I could have asked for. You treated me right and everything." He prolonged some of his words, thinking as he spoke at the same time. "What I'm trying to get at is, you remember Angela, right? My girlfriend that moved to Europe?"

"Yes?"

"She… came back. She found me and we kind of got back together after I got together with you. I'm sorry, Casey. I didn't intend for any of this to happen. I didn't think I'd ever see Angela again, but I'm still in love with her."

Casey stared at Shawn. Her mouth shut and she glanced down at her lap.

Her green eyes closed and she sighed weakly.

"So, we're breaking up after we just got together?" She asked softly, not looking at Shawn.

"Kind of… Look, Cas, I am _really_ sorry. I thought that if I started going out with other people, I could forget about Angela, but I just can't get over her. She's a big part of my life and the first girl to ever love me and for me to love back. Hell, she's the girl I wish I can marry one day. I just can't get over her so easily after so much has happened between the two of us. I just hope you can understand and we can be friends again. I'd like that at the least."

Shawn grabbed her hands and lifted her chin up so she could look at him.

He gave her a side smile and pulled her up off the sofa.

"Please, Cas? You are my friend. Aren't you?"

Casey couldn't tear her eyes away from him. She was so infatuated with this man that she couldn't possibly stay upset with him for so long. She can avoid him, yes, and she can be upset with him for not liking her back, but she had to be honest with herself. She didn't want to lose this genuine friendship between the two of them.

She wanted Shawn to be happy and if Angela made him happy, then Casey could step aside and not interfere with their relationship. She'd find herself one soon enough.

"Yeah. I'm your friend."

"Great!" Shawn said as he hugged her. "I'm glad you understand and just know that if you happen to get mad at me, I understand that too. I kind of played you along today and I didn't mean to."

Casey chuckled and released him.

"It's fine, Shawn. I forgive you. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

Shawn kissed the side of Casey's head.

"Why don't we go out and spend some time together? Topanga took Angela out shopping and Eric and Cory are doing their Christmas present wrapping or something at Eric's."

Casey grinned and agreed and then they left to spend some friendly time together.

* * *

"Ooh, Topanga. The dress looks gorgeous on you." Angela complimented her best friend as she strutted outside of the dressing room. Topanga smiled from ear to ear and glanced down at herself.

"You don't think it makes my hips look big?" She asked, checking herself out in the mirror.

Angela shook her head.

"You look great. You should buy it. I'm sure Cory will like it too." Angela teased as Topanga blushed and went back inside the dressing room.

"I'll think about it. Let me just try on these other clothes before I make my decision."

"Okay, I'm gonna go find some more shirts to try on. I'll be right back."

"Okay!"

Angela walked out of the dressing room area and went to the shirts in the women's section. She rummaged through the racks. As she was looking her eyes caught sight of a something, more specific, some_one_.

She stopped what she was doing and looked over as she spotted Shawn.

He was standing beside some beautiful brunette as they talked. The brunette was looking at clothes while Shawn and her conversed back and forth in a casual manner.

Angela had never seen the woman before. She didn't want to jump to conclusions, but she didn't look like she could be related to Shawn in any way and the way she smiled whenever Shawn said something kind of threw Angela off.

She lifted her brow and walked back to where she had left Topanga before Shawn could detect her.

"Topanga, I just saw Shawn…" She said once she got back inside.

Topanga walked outside her dressing room wearing a lovely pink top. She showed Angela and Angela nodded in approval.

"Did he see you?" Topanga asked as she quickly went back into the room.

"No, I don't think so. He was with some girl."

"What did she look like?"

"Skinny, brunette, looked like she was about 5'4." Angela said as she described the girl.

"Sounds like Casey. She's one of our friends that we met when we moved here. She's been hanging out with us for a while now. I can introduce the two of you later if you want." Topanga suggested.

Angela thought this over quickly and said that'd be great.

* * *

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH!"

"Cory, calm down. It's okay, it's… o…kay…"

Eric was trying to calm Cory down. He had jumped up onto the couch from where he was sitting on the floor at the coffee table. He had one leg up beside the other as he looked at the ground cautiously. Eric was standing beside him on the couch.

"It was just a rat. I've been trying to catch the little sucker for weeks now. He must've liked how your leg tasted." Eric joked as he turned to his brother.

Cory glared at him.

"This is not funny, Eric! Why the hell is there a rat in your apartment?"

Eric shrugged.

"I'unno…" He said like he usually did when people asked him things he didn't quite know how to answer.

Cory placed his foot down on the sofa cushion and looked around the ground more.

"We can't work in these conditions. We have to get rid of that rat."

"You don't think I've been trying? I made it a little bed and everything. All it's done is crap on the floor and eat my Cocoa Puffs!"

"Eric, this is serious. You need mouse traps or something."

"But it's a rat."

"It works the same way, bonehead!"

"I thought you liked rats. Didn't you do a project with them a few years ago?"

"That was different. Those were domestic rats. This is a freakin' city rat that could chew our faces off!" Cory was getting hysterical and Eric was now becoming more frightened by the fact that the rat could eat his face off while he was asleep at night.

"Okay, I'm going to call an exterminator. I need the phonebook and the phone." Eric said to Cory.

Neither one of them moved as they looked at each other.

"Aren't you going to get down and get them?" Cory asked his brother who shook his head very quickly.

Cory bit his lip then looked around the apartment.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do…" He started off.

* * *

Eric and Cory gaped at each other as they realized what kind of positions they were in.

Eric was hanging from the ceiling as the light fixture dangled down slightly by its wires.

Cory was standing in an odd pose on top of the kitchen counter.

How they got this way, the world may never know.

But did they ever touch the ground? Nope.

They somehow got themselves into a tight bind. Eric swung the light gently and jumped onto the small island in the kitchen. It was a pretty long jump, but he landed on the counter top of the island somewhat easily. He reached over and grabbed the phone from the wall and looked towards Cory.

Cory sat down on the counter across from Eric who was still on the island.

He opened the drawers beneath him and pulled out the phonebook.

"Here it is!" He cheered happily with a big grin on his face.

"Great, now look up an exterminator." Eric rushed him as he prepared his fingers for button pressing.

"Okay, let's see…" Cory skimmed through the phonebook until he came to the first exterminator he spotted in the book. "Here's one! Al's Exterminatin'. Sounds promising." He said as he called out the number to his brother.

Eric dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.

A nasally voice cascaded from the other end of the phone.

"Hello, this is Al's Exterminatin'. How may I assist you today?" The woman on the other end asked as she chewed and smacked her gum loudly.

"Uh, yeah, hi. I need an exterminator as quickly as possible. There's a rat inside my apartment and me and my brother can't really do anything because we're afraid the rat will, let's just say… CHEW OUR FACES OFF!"

The woman rolled her eyes over the phone and smacked her gum again.

"Gimme your address and we'll send over someone as quickly as we can, sir."

Eric seemed pleased and told her his address with velocity.

She wrote it down and told him she was sending someone over soon.

Eric put the phone down and sat on the island.

"Now we wait."

* * *

Casey yawned once she opened her apartment's door. She and Shawn carried in her bags and placed them on her coffee table. She kicked off her shoes and plopped down on her couch and propped her feet up on the table.

"I'm worn out."

"So am I and I didn't even buy anything." Shawn said as he put the last of her bags down.

She rolled her eyes.

"You could have."

"But I didn't need to. I need to do a little Christmas shopping anyway. I don't have the money to spend on myself."

"Man, Christmas is what? How many days away?"

Shawn walked over to her calendar that was hanging on her wall.

"After today's over, exactly eight days 'til." He stated.

"Geez. I'm glad I got my shopping done already."

"I should go. Angela and Topanga are probably back at Cory's already and I need to talk to Angela."

"She must be something for you to want to break it off with moi." Casey kidded with a wink.

Shawn laughed and nodded.

"She really is. I think you'd like her. Why don't you come over tomorrow and we can all hang out together?"

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

"Pass the Cocoa Puffs." Eric demanded Cory politely.

Cory passed the box of cereal to his brother as the two of them chow downed on it. They had been sitting on the counter and island for at least two hours now. They couldn't get down on the ground because their fear wasn't allowing them to.

The exterminator was taking forever to get there and they still had to work on their gifts for everyone.

"This guy better hurry. It's been over thirty minutes. The service should be free by now!"

"It doesn't work like that, Cor." Eric said as he poured some of the chocolate cereal pieces into his mouth. "It's not like ordering pizza."

Cory sighed hotly and looked towards the door. Like on cue, someone knocked.

"Al's Exterminatin'!"

Eric and Cory brightened and smiled at each other.

"COME IN!" They yelled in unison and the exterminator guy burst through the door.

"Thank God you're here! Find this rat so we can finally get down!" Cory urged.

"I'mma need you two to step out."

"Oh, sir, we can't get down."

The man looked at Cory and cocked a brow.

"And why not?" He said with a thick country accent.

"W-We're kind of… stuck here." Cory said to him.

"Don't look like it. Just get up and walk out while I hunt down this pesky critter."

Eric hopped down from the counter and grabbed Cory. Cory tried to get down but Eric trotted outside the apartment as quickly as he could manage and threw Cory down on the hallway floor. Cory rubbed his back and stood up. The exterminator shut the door and for the next fifteen minutes, all the boys could hear was crashing sounds and scuffling and all these other disturbing noises until finally, the man reopened the door.

He held up a container with the dead rat inside it and grinned from ear to ear with satisfaction.

"Thanks for the supper, boys. You're free to go in there."

"Wait, don't we have to pay you?" Cory asked with puzzlement.

"I took over thirty minutes. It's free!" He said as he left.

Cory and Eric stared after him then shrugged as they went back inside.

To their discomfort, the place was a disaster, but what really killed them was the fact that their gifts were now shattered across the living room. Cory broke down to his knees and stared hopelessly at the sculptures.

"This is going to take forever to clean up…" He said. "And what's worse is that our presents… are _RUINED_!" He cried out as Eric patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, Cor. Let's just go buy some new ones."

"But we've wasted all this time!"

"Snap out of it, Cory!" Eric then slapped his brother across the face and pulled him to stand up. "We are not going to give up. We have about a week until Christmas. We can do this! We can make these presents if we try hard enough! Now are you with me or are you against me?"

Cory looked at his brother's face and then turned his expression into a determined one.

"I'm with ya, Eric!" He pumped up his fist and cheered. "We can do this!"

"We can do this!" Eric yelled out with victory. "Now, let's get down to the store and buy some more supplies!"

"Yeah! Let's go!" Cory said as they hurried out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I would just like to thank all the people that are reading this story. I also appreciate the wonderful feedback from my reviewers. I love reviews, so I really like it when people review my stories. **

**I would also like to say that once I finish this story, I will have more. I'm trying to do one story at a time. I hope you understand. I have so many fresh ideas for Boy Meets World Fanfics and I hope you guys that are reading this one, will check those out once this story is finished. **

**Thank you for your time. You may now read the chapter.**

* * *

It was the very next day. Christmas was still coming up in just about a week's time. Cory and Eric had stayed up all night working on their gifts for everybody. In the middle of painting them, they had fallen asleep on the floor in Eric's apartment. They were filthy with colors and tired from being up so late. Cory had figured he'd be staying over at Eric's that night. The way things were going he had called Topanga and explained to her how he wouldn't be home that night.

The sun shone in through the draped windows and the light hit Eric's face.

He scrunched his face up and blinked open his eyes.

Yawning, he sat up slowly and ran his hand through his messy hair.

He had paint coated into it already, so putting his dirty, painted hand on his hair wasn't really much of an issue at this point.

Eric glanced around and noticed that he and Cory could be done with the rest of these gifts in just a few short minutes if they actually worked with a little more effort. Eric noticed Cory curled up on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table.

He watched his brother sleep for a few minutes and then prodded him with his foot to his side.

Cory moaned and turned over the other way and stayed sleeping.

Eric crawled over to him and shook him lightly. When Cory didn't wake up, he shook him with vigorous force. Cory's eyes popped open and he demanded Eric to stop shaking him.

"We can be done with these if we hurry." Eric informed his younger sibling.

Cory yawned slightly and sat up.

"What time is it?"

Eric glanced at his wrist watch.

"It's still early. We better get these done though. I'm tired of messing with them."

Cory agreed and they set out to finish up their presents.

* * *

Topanga awoke with a jolt.

She sat up quickly in her bed and was sweating a lot.

She wiped the salted water from his face and took a few deep breaths. Cory had called last night to say he wouldn't come home that night. Topanga figured it was because of this special present thing he was going through. He and Eric had been trying to hide it since yesterday. Topanga was eager to find out what her husband and brother-in-law were up to, but she'd wait until Christmas to find out.

A migraine set in and Topanga held her head and moaned with agony.

She needed medicine and quickly.

She got up and went to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. She took out some migraine pills and swallowed them quickly. She kept having this reoccurring nightmare every week.

_**Darkness **_surrounded her as she walked down a secluded trail in the woods. She could hear howling and hooting and other creepy noises as she walked slowly down the pathway. Coming up to an abandoned house, she walks in quietly, asking if anyone is home. Nobody answers. Cold, tired and hungry, Topanga looks around and finds a dead rat. She eats is raw and lies on the floor to sleep. When she awakens, a man is hovering over her body.

She screams and sits up, backing up in the corner of the room.

As the man creeps closer to her, she realizes it's Shawn.

Shawn bends down on his knees and stares at her through narrowed eyes. He looks hurt and angry at the same time. His expression darkens and he whispers with a hauntingly scary tone. "You stole him…" He says in a deep, demonic voice. "He was mine and you… stole him!"

Topanga, frightened, presses herself up against the wall and shuts her eyes tightly.

"Leave me alone, Shawn! I didn't do anything!" She shouts at him. He then grabs her and runs with her outside of the house.

Topanga, kicking and screaming, hits him on his back several times as he steals her away.

Shawn reaches a lake and throws Topanga in. Since the water is shallow where he's thrown her, she sits there, drenched in water and scared for her life at this point.

He steadily walks nearer to her and puts his feet and ankles into the water. He pulls her back up and wades her out to a deeper part of the lake. He smirks with an evil grin and Topanga's eyes widen as he pushes her under the water.

She fights to break free, only to have Shawn bring her out of the water then dunk her once again.

"You shouldn't have married him, Topanga!" He laughs as he pulls her up. "You should've known better to get between me and my best friend!"

Topanga's body is forcefully pushed under once again and she's having a difficult time breathing.

Shawn is laughing manically the entire time as he tries to drown Topanga.

"I told you not to give up," Shawn begins to say, gripping Topanga's hair and making her look at him, "but you didn't understand what I meant. I didn't mean for you to not give up and try and be the most important person in Cory's life, but to not give up on finding someone new! You've torn us apart for far too long, Yoko! And now…" He smirks with a darkened stare. "You will pay." And her head and body go under the water once more.

Topanga holds her throat, trying her best to hold her breath under the cold lake.

Then… everything suddenly goes black and Topanga's body is numb and lifeless. Shawn checks her pulse as he brings her up and then drags her out of the water.

He pulls her over to a tree and sits her up against it.

He leans over to her ear and says coldly, "I win. I've always been the winner and I'll always_ be_ the winner. You are no longer the most important person in his life, Topanga. I am!" And he leaves her dead body there to rot as he runs off through the _**woods.**_

That's when Topanga wakes up from the dream.

She never can figure out why she keeps having this diabolical nightmare. Surely it's not real. Surely it has no meaning to it at all. Surely… Shawn doesn't really feel this way.

It was just too much for her. She goes into her bedroom again and lays out her clothes. She goes back to the bathroom and takes a quick shower and then gets dressed. As she goes to the kitchen, the door knob turns on the front door.

Shawn walks in and smiles at Topanga.

"Hey, you left the door unlocked."

Topanga grins weakly.

"Yeah, I thought Cory was coming back, but when he called and said he wasn't, I forgot to lock it back." She explained.

Shawn nodded.

"So, where's Angela?" Topanga asks Shawn as the two of them head to the kitchen.

"At the hotel. She slept there last night. She said she had to pack her things that she'd brought. She's going to stay at my place until she goes back to Europe."

Topanga puts on a pot of coffee and sits down at the table with Shawn.

"When did she say she was going back exactly?" She inquires with importance.

"She wants to stay for Christmas, but we're still not sure yet. I was hoping she could still stay until then, but I'm also thinking she should be with her father on Christmas day."

Shawn was having a stressful time with everything. He had just got reacquainted with Angela and now she would be returning to live with her dad for the remainder of his time there. He wanted Angela to be here for the joyous holiday, but then again, he'd be depriving her father and her of a special time they could be spending together.

It was all too complicated and Shawn wished he wasn't a part of it, but sadly, he was.

Topanga detected Shawn's frustration and she rubbed his arm in a friendly manner. She wanted him to feel better and not be like this. She knew it'd be hard and she wasn't quite sure how to make him feel any better about any of this at all.

All she could do was support what his decisions were and be a true friend.

"I know it's hard Shawn, but maybe you don't have to make that choice for her." Topanga insisted. "Maybe Angela needs to decide when she wants to go back herself. If she wants to spend Christmas here, why tell her no if that'll make her happy, since you two don't have much time together until she has to go back?"

Shawn peered up at Topanga from the table.

"I guess so…" He said, still somewhat unsure.

Topanga got up and pecked his cheek.

She rubbed his shoulders slightly and smiled.

"Just talk to her about it." She informed him as she went to get the coffee.

* * *

Fueled full of excitement, Angela bounded to the lobby of the hotel. She had her hands full with her luggage and she was about ready to go.

Jace walked over to her and grabbed some of her things.

"I'll help you." He told her.

"Thanks, Jace. Is Macy at the bar? I want to tell her goodbye before I have to go."

"Yeah, she's working."

Angela thanked him and left her things with Jace for a moment as she went to bid farewell to her friend. Macy was cleaning out some of the cups at the bar as Angela came up and sat down at the counter.

Macy's red hair looked almost bloody in the dark light of the dining room.

"Hey." Angela said softly as Macy turned around.

Macy grinned.

"How'day, girl! You look mighty pretty in that coat of yours. Goin' somewhere?"

Angela nodded slowly, saying, "Yeah, actually, I'm leaving. I'm checking out of the hotel."

Macy gave a weak laugh and placed her hands on the counter.

"Movin' in with your beau, I'm guessin'?"

"Just for a few days. I'm going back to Europe."

"Oh? Why? What happened?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Shawn just thinks that I should spend the rest of the year with my father and then I can come back to be with him. He just wants what's best for me…"

Macy noticed Angela depressed emotion behind her solid mask.

Angela didn't want to leave Shawn again, but Shawn insisted on her being with her father until his year in Europe was up. She had agreed to it and she was going to suffer being away from him. Perhaps it was for the best. Angela did want to be with her father too. Maybe this time she can stop thinking of Shawn and actually have a wonderful time with her dad for the remainder of the year.

Macy placed her hand under Angela's chin and tilted her head up gently.

She gave her a reassuring and genuine smile.

"He loves you. I can tell. Just do this for him and everything will end up perfect for the two of you. I can feel it in my older bones."

"You're not as old as you play off to be, Macy." Angela joked, smiling at her friend's way of comforting her.

Macy laughed and nodded.

"Forty-two isn't the best age to be, but at least I ain't old as dirt. _Yet_." She added with a wink.

Angela chuckled and reached over the counter to hug her friend. Macy returned the friendly gesture and then told Angela to come back and visit whenever she'd like, to which Angela promised she would do just that.

Angela said goodbye to Macy and then met up with Jace at the door. He grinned at her and said, "I hope you have a good life, Ange. Be sure that, that boyfriend of yours treats you well too."

"I'll be sure of that, Jace. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

_Done… Finally, we are done. DONE! _

Cory was full of relief and happiness.

Eric was so giddy, he giggled and embraced his brother as they jumped up and down.

"We did it! We're done with these stupid things!" Cory cheered as he let go of Eric. "Now we can just let the paint dry and then we can wrap them!"

"Hehe, yeah! How long do you think it'll take for the paint to be done drying?"

Cory shrugged.

"Maybe an hour or so. We can just leave 'em here on the coffee table and clean up the mess later. I'm going to go take a shower." Cory said as he started to walk off.

Eric grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"Oh, ho, ho, little brother. _I _am getting in the shower." He notified Cory. "On second thought, I think I'll take a bubble bath."

Cory frowned. "Uh, no, Eric. I need to take a shower _first_ because I_ called_ it first."

"You'll just have to wait. It's my apartment. Not yours!"

Cory pulled away from Eric and ran down the hallway to the bathroom. Eric got up and chased after him but Cory locked himself in the bathroom and laughed mockingly at his brother.

"Heh, heh! I got in here fir-irst!" He sang.

Eric beat the door with his palm and frowned.

"Cory! That isn't fair, man!" He yelled at him.

"Oh, so sad. I'll only be a few minutes." He promised, turning the water on to the tub.

Eric sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said with defeat as he began to walk away. He widened his eyes when he remembered something and ran back to the door. "CORY!"

"What?"

"Don't touch Mr. Ducksworth!" He threatened.

"Who?" Cory looked over at the closed door to hear Eric more clearly.

"I said, don't touch Mr. Ducksworth. He's my ducky and I don't want you to be touchin' him!"

Rolling his eyes, Cory agreed not to touch the rubber ducky.

He hopped into the shower and began to clean the paint and clay off his body. He was dog tired and he wished he was able to sleep in his own bed next to his lovely wife, Topanga. Unfortunately, desperate to finish up the presents for everyone, he wasn't able to return back to his own apartment complex.

Cory thought about leaning his head against the wall of the bathtub, but if he fell asleep, he might fall back and drown in the water.

It's happened. He wasn't ready to drown to death.

Actually, he would never be ready to drown.

He didn't want to die!

Anyway, as soon as Cory finished, he dried off with his towel and grabbed Eric's bathrobe. He wasn't about to put back on his dirty clothes. He'd just borrow some of Eric's and return them later on once he changed into a pair of his own clothes.

He walked out of the bathroom and went down the hallway to the living room.

Eric was sitting on the couch watching early morning television.

Eric glanced over at him and hung his mouth open.

"Is that my robe?" He gasped.

Cory peered down at himself and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm just going to borrow it real quick. Can I wear some of your clothes until I get back home?" He asked.

Eric rubbed his bearded chin in thought.

"I guess so."

"Great, tha-"

"On one condition." Eric implied with a smirk as he held up his index finger.

Cory cocked a brow and asked, "What do I have to do?"

"You have to let me sign my name _first _on all the gifts AND-"

"And? There is no 'and'. You said _one _condition. That was one. 'And' would make it two."

"Okay, fine. On _two _conditions. You have to let me sign my name first on all the presents and let me give mom and dad theirs."

Cory didn't really care how this went. He agreed to it quickly and set off to Eric's bedroom, where he found the smallest clothes he could find in his brother's closet and put them on. He looked pretty normal in it as he glanced at the mirror. He fluffed his hair some and then went out of the room.

"Hey, Eric?" He called out at the bathroom door.

Over the water, Cory could hear Eric singing "Don't Bring Me Down" by the Electric Light Orchestra.

"_Don't bring me down! Ah-woo-hoo!" _He could hear Eric sing in that high pitched way of his.

"Eric?" He asked again as he got up against the door.

"_Don't bring me dow_- Huh? What?"

"Do you have an extra toothbrush I can borrow?"

"Yeah, like a keep an extra one for fun." Eric replied sarcastically.

"A simple 'no' would've done just fine." Cory griped as he went away from the door. He'd brush his teeth as soon as he got back home.

* * *

Topanga was getting uncomfortable. Usually when Shawn was around, someone else was with them. After having that horrible dream over the past few nights, she was a little uneasy around him now. She didn't know if it was her mind making up things to ruin her life, or if it was a sign that something was hiding in Shawn and he wasn't telling anyone.

Topanga was trying her best to not let Shawn know she was perturbed. She kept asking him to help her with things.

First she had asked about checking the sink in the bathroom.

Shawn said nothing was wrong with it.

Second she asked him to help clean the living room.

That only took about two minutes.

Then she had asked him to clean the toilets.

That's where he drew the line.

"Topanga, I don't mind helping you out, but why are you asking me to do chores? Doesn't Cory help you out here?" Shawn said with a brow raised and his arms folded across his chest.

Topanga didn't meet his gaze.

"Well, yeah, he does, but-"

"But what?" Shawn interrupted her. "Is something bothering you? Do you wanna talk about it?" He offered, letting his arms fall to his sides evenly.

_Not really. No._ Topanga answered in her head.

She shook her head and left the living room. She headed down to her and Cory's bedroom and shut the door, not locking it. She was just a little freaked out about her dream and it was making it hard to be around Shawn.

Shawn followed her and opened her bedroom door.

"Topanga…" Shawn said softly. He sat down on the bed beside her and looked at her face, but all she did was turn away from him. "Topanga, what's wrong? You can tell me."

"It's nothing, Shawn. Don't worry about it." She lied.

Shawn grabbed her cheeks and made her look at him.

"Hey, I'm your friend, remember? I care about you and you're my best friend's wife. I don't like seeing you hurting anymore than he does. Now, I'm here to listen if you want to talk. You know that. I'm here for you." He promised with a sincere look in his eyes. He let go of her face and she sighed weakly.

"I've… been having this dream."

"Yeah…?"

"It's been showing up for a while now and I don't know why. It's really frightening and it's making me feel weird when I'm around you, Shawn." She told him, turning to face him now. "You kill me in the dream."

Shawn's eyes expanded only slightly.

"I… I kill you?" He says with confusion. "Why would I want to kill you in a dream?"

"I don't know! You drown me and say stuff like, 'you never should've married Cory' and 'he's mine and not yours' and 'you stole him!'. It's all so weird and I don't understand why you drown me in the dream and say all those awful things."

The two of them are silent for a minute then Topanga looks at Shawn again.

"You don't really think I stole him, do you? You're not mad at me for anything, are you?"

"Of course not!" Shawn defends. "It's just one of those nightmares that makes no sense, but you just keep having it over and over again. I've had those too."

"But Shawn, it's perfectly clear that something's underneath the surface. I wouldn't have this dream, the _exact _dream, if something wasn't there to comprehend. I need an explanation and I need to understand why my brain it concocting this dream in the first place. I need closure on it. I need to know why."

"Topanga, truth be told, not everything has an answer. You should know that from Feeny." Shawn said as he walked out of the bedroom.

Topanga stared after him and remembered the time that she'd been the only one to get the answer correct in class. Cory had wracked his brain trying to understand how the answer wasn't seven and Stuart Minkus had been so worked up over getting the answer completely wrong.

Perhaps Shawn was right. Maybe there wasn't a definite reason for her to be dreaming this.

Some say each dream has a meaning, but then others say that dreams are just your imagination running wild as you sleep.

_Shawn's right._ Topanga thought._ It's nothing. I bet if I just keep it out of my mind, the dreams will stop._

Topanga tried her best to keep the nightmares far from her mind as possible.

She went out of the bedroom and went into the living room. Shawn was there sitting on their couch, watching television. Topanga sat down next to him.

"Maybe you're right." She said after a moment's silence.

Shawn lifted his eye brow and smirked.

"Oh, I am, am I?" He seemed mighty proud of this.

Topanga grinned. "Yeah, you're right. It's just a silly dream. My mind's just making it up. It's no big deal."

"Right. It's no big deal." Shawn agreed with her.

Topanga finally felt a little better. The air was a lot clearer now. She was more peaceful after talking it over with Shawn. That's what she probably needed. Just to talk to Shawn.

* * *

_There. I've made it. _

She unlocked the door with the spare key Shawn had given her and lunged her belongings inside. She slung them over to the couch and took in a few deep breaths.

Angela sat down from exhaustion.

She had to carry all those heavy suitcases up to the elevator and down the hallway to the apartment. It took a lot out of a person.

After a brief moment of relaxation, Angela grabbed the suitcase she'd need for the next few more days she'd be staying and left in on the couch as she stacked the rest of them in the corner of the room.

She grabbed her suitcase and took it to Shawn's room.

She didn't have anywhere else to put it and Shawn's room seemed the most reasonable place to store it for right now.

As soon as she put it in there, the phone rang in the other room. She hurried out and answered it smoothly.

"Hello?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know anyone was over at Shawn's." A female voice spoke.

"Who's this?" Angela asked, a little suspicious.

"Who's _this_?"

"Angela, Shawn's girlfriend." Angela retorted.

"Angela! Hi, I'm Casey. I'm a friend of Shawn's."

Somewhat relieved, Angela turned her guard down slightly.

"Oh, hey. Topanga told me about you."

"Really? Well, everyone else has told me so much about _you_. It's finally nice to talk to you. I heard you were in town. How are you liking New York?" Casey was trying to be friendly. She knew how much Shawn cared for this girl on the other end of the phone. She didn't want to come off annoying or cold hearted. She wanted to make a good first impression on Angela because truth be told, she might have to hang around her.

She really wanted to be a part of a special relationship with Angela. She wanted to be a good friend and that's exactly what she intended on doing.

"New York's good. It's different from where I'm use to though." Angela responded as she sat down and casually wrapped the phone's cord around her finger.

"I bet. It's a lot colder up here too. I'm originally from Georgia, so it's a lot warmer down there."

"I've been. The weather's nice in the fall. The summer's too hot and sticky though."

"I agree. I hated the summers down there."

Casey and Angela started talking. They actually got along famously and Angela was beginning to see why Shawn liked Casey so much. She was funny and sweet and very kind and everyone else seemed to like her. Angela was actually starting to become very fond of the girl as they chatted on the phone.

_This girl is actually pretty cool. I'd love to meet her. _Angela said to herself as Casey explained some of the things their friends had been up to while Angela was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

She giggled at his hair style. Her hands were sticky from the gel and her face hurt from smiling so much. He turned around to peer at himself in the mirror and slowly rolled his eyes upward at his awkward hair do. It was all flat except for one thick strand of hair that made him look like Alfalfa from _The Little Rascals_.

He looked at his reflection and laughed at himself.

"You should never be a hairstylist." He told Topanga as he glanced at her with a smirk.

"I resent that." She teased back. They laughed and he walked to the bathroom. "Want me to get the gel out?" She offered when she followed him.

"Yeah, would ya?"

Topanga nodded and pulled him over to the bathtub. She grabbed the hose-like shower head and pulled it down as she turned the water on. She told Shawn to get down on his knees and bend his head over into the tub.

He did as he was told and she squirted the water from the nozzle of the shower head onto his hair.

She grabbed some shampoo and soaped up his hair and tried to get the sticky mess out of it.

"Topanga, the water's burning me!" Shawn shouted at her.

"Sorry!" She apologized as she turned the temperature down and scrubbed his hair until she was positive that the gel was all out of it.

She turned the water off and returned the shower head as she grabbed two towels. She handed one over to Shawn and then dried her arms and hands off.

Shawn rubbed the towel over his hair until it was dry and fluffy.

Topanga smirked and chuckled at his hair.

"You should fix that." She told him.

"I am." He said as he walked over to the mirror and styled it the way he wanted. "Want to go get something to eat? I have a feeling Cory won't be home anytime soon and Angela said she wanted to rest once she got to my apartment."

"You don't want to go see her first?"

"We can stop by my place later and see how she's doing. She just wanted to get settled. She said she'd be over here later."

"Alright, then let's go."

* * *

"Girl, we definitely need to meet up or something. You are a riot!" Angela truthfully told Casey. She'd been talking on the phone with her for over an hour now. She thought the girl was amazing and hilarious.

Casey smiled at this.

"We should! How about now? I'm off today and I was thinking about going into town later. I can meet you over at Shawn's."

"Okay. I'll be waiting here then."

"Great! I'll be over in about thirty minutes. It was nice talking with you. See ya later!" Casey proclaimed happily.

Angela chuckled lightly.

"Okay then, girl. See you then. Bye."

"Bye!"

* * *

They brought out the tape and the wrapping paper and the name tags.

Carefully placing each little sculpture into a small box, they wrapped the paper over each one, poorly, and taped the edges up as best as they could.

Eric had tape hanging from his chin and forehead as he pulled off a piece, earning a small groan as the tape brought his facial hair with it. He quickly snatched the hair off the tape and placed it on the wrapping paper.

"Last ones." Cory announced as he put the last present into its box.

Eric grabbed his last one and wrapped it quickly. He placed the name tag on it and wrote down his name on the _From: _line. He handed the present over to Cory as Cory handed his to him. Cory scribbled down his own name and then wrote who it was to.

Eric wrote his name on the other gift and handed it back over to Cory so he could sign his name and who it was to.

Once they were done, they each grabbed the presents and steadily made their way to Eric's bedroom.

"We can put them in the bottom drawers of my dresser. I cleaned them out when I got out of the shower."

Cory was impressed.

"Good thinking, Eric. That's actually a good idea."

"Well, hey. I can be a smart guy." He boasted as he opened the drawers and started putting the presents into them. Cory did the same and then they shut the drawers.

The two of them stood up and dusted their hands off and smiled at one another with pure pride.

"Well, that's that." Cory concluded. "I guess I'll go on home now. Thanks, Eric."

"No thank _you_. I would've never gotten those done without you."

"Oh, stop it." Cory said with fake embarrassment. "We would've never thought of doing this if it weren't for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were making that mug for mom. That's where I got the idea."

"Huh…"

"What?"

"I'm so creative…" Eric said slowly as he retreated out of his bedroom.

Cory looked after him then followed.

* * *

"Cory can be such a wild man." Shawn joked to Topanga as they were sitting in a nice burger joint.

Topanga laughed.

"But I don't understand why he thinks he'll look good with an earring. I've never once said he'd look better with one. I don't know where he got such a crazy idea. An earring is _nothing _like Cory Matthews."

Shawn sipped at his Coca-Cola.

"You know Jon wore an earring, right?"

"Yes, I know, but that still doesn't explain why Cory wants to."

"Maybe he saw someone wear one and thought it'd be cool. You know how Cory can be." Shawn said as he picked up one of his flimsy fries and ate it.

Topanga shrugged and picked up her burger as she bit into it.

* * *

He watched them closely from across the restaurant.

_After all these years, she's still so beautiful, still so elegant. She's_ all _woman! _He thought in his mind as he stared at her. He wanted to go over and say something to her, but he wasn't sure that was appropriate because she was having lunch with some young man.

He looked harder at them.

His eyes expanded when he noticed it was Shawn.

_Shawn? ! What is _he _doing with Topanga? Why is he with her? First it was Cory that took my woman from me and now this Neanderthal has!_

He was always so envious of Cory.

Everyone knew they had a thing for each other. Cory tried to hide it for years, but after so long, he just gave in and finally accepted that he had feelings for Topanga.

But Stuart has always liked her too! He thought they'd be together forever. He wanted to be a devoted husband and caring father of her children. He always fantasized about being with the gorgeous goddess. They were both smart and polite. They were a match made in Heaven!

Stuart remembered how heartbroken he felt when Topanga started going out with Cory. They'd break up but get back together. He always tried to ask her out, but so many other guys, much better looking than him, beat him to the punch.

It wasn't fair!

Sighing, Stuart Minkus peered down at the table.

After so long of feeling lonely and empty, he finally accepted the fact that he'd never have Topanga to himself and that he should just feel happy towards the fact that Cory got such a wonderful human being to be with him.

Remembering graduation, Minkus had been a bit awful towards Topanga in some ways. He remembered shouting about how she'd only gotten one more lousy 'A' than he did. He soon regretted that afterwards. He shouldn't have done that. She earned those grades and he earned his. It was only fair she was valedictorian.

Minkus always kind of assumed he had a special place in Topanga, Cory and even Shawn's hearts. He did get a welcoming and non-forceful embrace from all of them when he received his diploma. It was a nice thing for them all to do.

He never did see them after they graduated. He'd heard rumors of them all, but never really knew what happened to them after they all went off on their separated ways.

_I wonder if Cory and Topanga ever got married. I wonder if they ever had kids. I wonder if they're still friends or together even. Maybe they broke up and she started going out with Shawn! What if her and Shawn are married instead? What if _they _have kids? Perhaps they're still all good friends. Oh, I need to find out!_

Minkus got up from his chair and slowly made his way over to Topanga and Shawn.

They were talking about earrings when he finally reached their table.

They both stopped talking and looked up at him.

With wide eyes, Topanga looked Stuart up and down.

"Stuart?" She questioned, earning a nod from Minkus.

"Hi, guys."

"Heh-Heh-Hey! Minkus!" Shawn said with enthusiasm. "How the heck are ya?"

"Hello, Shawn. I work as an intern at a promising computer software company."

"That's great, Stuart." Topanga said with a genuine smile. "Are you trying to work your way up?"

Minkus nodded.

"I am. I think I'll be promoted soon."

"Looks like your dreams are coming true then, Minkus-Meh-Boy." Shawn chuckled as he took a swig of his Coke.

Stuart gave a small chuckle.

_Not all my dreams…_

"So, Stuart, tell us what inspired you to remove your glasses. You look good." Topanga mentioned with kindness.

Minkus blushed slightly.

"I was the only one at the office wearing big glasses. I decided to try some contacts. They're really not that bad."

"Well, you looks great, Stu." Shawn smirked at him slightly.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you don't look too bad yourself, Shawn. College did you good."

"Still taking some courses. We're not quite done with college yet, but we're on Christmas vacation."

"We?" Stuart asked.

"Yeah, me, Topanga and Cory."

"You're still with Cory?" Minkus asked as he turned towards Topanga.

She held up her hand to show him her wedding ring.

"We're married."

"My sincere congratulations to you then." He grinned as best as he could.

"Well, thank you, Stuart!" Topanga smiled back at him. "Would you like to take a seat and join us?" She offered.

Minkus thought about it, but decided to sit down and have a few conversations with them. He wanted to get caught up anyway.

* * *

At the sound of knocking, Angela scurried over to the door. When she opened it, she was met with a beautiful brunette with a lovely green gaze.

Casey gave a warm grin and clutched her purse's strap closer to her side.

"Angela?" She asked.

Angela smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm Angela. It's so nice to finally meet you." She said.

Casey squealed and wrapped her arms around Angela in a hug.

Angela was taken off guard but hugged her back awkwardly.

"Sorry," Casey began to say as she released. "I guess I became a little too excited."

"Mhmm." Angela responded with a chuckle.

Casey blushed over in embarrassment.

"So, do you want to go out to lunch? I know where we can get a decent burger."

"Sounds great. Let's go."

* * *

"Topanga?"

Cory looked around his apartment. Eric was in the kitchen eating a banana when Cory entered.

"I don't think Topanga's here."

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"I am when I find my wife."

"She probably just went shopping or something. We can go get something for lunch if you go and brush your teeth because your breath reeks." Eric complained as he held his nose. Cory covered his mouth and hurried to the bathroom.

Eric finished off his banana and threw the peel away.

_That was a good banana. Hmm… I wonder what Jack and Rachel are up to. I haven't really talked to them in a long time. I wonder if they got back together. Man, I miss those two. I can't believe my two best friends are gone. _

_I wish I could have gone with them, but I don't think I could have done such a good job._

_*sigh* I really, really miss those guys. _

Eric tapped the tip of his finger on the counter. Once Cory returned, he looked up.

"We can go get some burgers?" Eric suggested as he stood up.

Cory simply agreed and then they were off.

* * *

Upon arriving at the burger place, Angela and Casey glanced around for some good seats.

They found a booth and sat down.

"We can just choose what we want on the menu and then go up to the counter and order."

"No waiters?" Angela questioned and she glanced at her menu.

"Not really. It's pretty different for some reason. They kind of combine the two." Casey chuckled.

Angela smiled and skimmed through the choices.

* * *

"Now look, Eric, I just want to get a few burgers and then we're out of here. I have to find Topanga because she might be lost and I, as her trusty and strong husband, must find her!"

"Heh, trusty and strong. You kill me, Cor." Eric joked as he sat down at a table.

"I'm serious, Eric." Cory snapped as he sat down across from him.

"Yeah, fine, whatever. Just pick something out to eat."

* * *

"Well, the last I heard of you was that you and Angela were still together but you got her pregnant. I heard that a year after college started when I visited the high school and heard some of the seniors talking with one another."

Shawn gave a nervous laugh.

"I never got Angela pregnant…" He was a little uncomfortable with that assumption. "We're still together though."

Minkus smirked.

"Seems as if you've found your match, Hunter."

Shawn glanced down at the table shyly. He nodded with a soft grin plastered across his face. "I did…" He said softly. "I really did."

Topanga grinned and looked around as she noticed some people take a seat across the restaurant. Her eyes expanded and she noticed Angela and Casey.

She hadn't had a chance to introduce them, but here they were. Together.

She nudged Shawn under the table with her foot.

He looked at her.

"What?"

She motioned her head over at Angela and Casey.

_What the-? _Shawn thought as he lifted a brow.

"What're they doing together? Did they meet yet?"

Topanga shook her head. "I didn't have time to introduce them yet."

"Who's the other woman?" Stuart asked as he recognized Angela clearly.

"Casey. She's our friend we met a few months ago." Shawn told him as he didn't keep his gaze away from the two girls.

Minkus glanced over and noticed Casey. He seemed to be studying her. She was so beautiful and she looked like a nice and sweet girl. Being that Stuart Minkus hadn't had much luck with the ladies, she seemed like she'd give him a chance.

He hoped so.

He wanted to have someone in his life. He just didn't know where to begin…

* * *

"Thank you." Eric said kindly to the cashier woman. "For the burgers and for just standing there." He said seductively.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

He frowned and went back to Cory with their burgers. He gave Cory his food and sat down.

Taking a bite, Eric noticed Shawn.

"Oh, hey! Look! There's Shawn." Eric announced to Cory.

Cory turned around and saw his best friend. He also saw his wife and what appeared to be… Minkus?

"Is that… Mkinus?" Cory said aloud to himself.

"Who dat?" Eric asked, chewing his food.

"I'll… be right back, Eric." Cory said as he left his burger on the tray and went over there. "Hello…" Cory said to them all.

Three sets of eyes peered up at him. Topanga smiled.

"Cory! We didn't know you were here. Did you sleep good last night at Eric's?"

"Yeah, yeah, just fine." He said quickly and then turned to Minkus. "Minkus, haven't seen you a couple of years. Where have _you_ been hiding?"

"Minkus here works at a computer hardware company." Shawn said, putting his arm around Minkus' shoulders.

"Software." Minkus corrected Shawn.

"Yeah, that."

Cory nodded.

"Oh. Sounds like you." Cory commented.

"I heard you and Topanga got married. Congrats." He said with a kind smile.

Cory grinned proudly. "Yeah, and we've had-"

"Cory! Why don't you go get us some more napkins, please? We're almost out and I need some."

"Why?"

"Because…"

And then there it went. A drink came crashing down on the table. All of them jumped back some and Cory ran off to get some napkins. Topanga glanced at Shawn, knowing he'd done it.

She mouthed a 'thank you' and Shawn nodded with a smile.

Cory returned and they all cleaned up the mess.

"Well, now the table's all sticky!" Cory carped loudly.

"We can just go sit at another table. It's no big deal, honey." Topanga said.

He shrugged.

"I'll get Eric then."

"Eric? He's here too?"

"Yes, Topanga, he is. I need to go get him."

"It looks like everyone's here then. I'll ask Angela and Casey if they want to join us."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Angela and Casey? They're here too?"

Topanga nodded towards her husband and pointed over at the two girls.

Cory scratched his head.

"Interesting…"

"What is?" Minkus inquired.

"Everyone's here in one place at the same time. How convenient."

Shawn rolled his eyes at his friend and grabbed his shoulders. "Let's go, Cor." He said as Cory led him and Minkus over to Eric.

Topanga went off to her own best friend and greeted them warmly.

"Topanga!" Angela exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"Shawn and I came to get some lunch."

"Really?" Angela said with a cocked brow. "Where is he now?"

"We ran into Cory and they went to find a table where we can all sit. I wanted to see if you two wanted to come join us."

"Well, yeah. We'd love to." Casey said as she looked at Angela.

They both got up with their food and went over to everybody else. Angela was surprised to see Minkus though. She'd only met him a couple of times during their high school years and it was odd seeing him with everyone.

"Hi, I'm Stuart Minkus." Minkus greeted Casey first then turned to Angela. "Hi, I've met you before. Angela, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"It's nice to see you again. It's nice to meet you." He bobbed his head towards Angela then Casey.

Casey giggled a bit and sat down in a seat beside Shawn. Angela was about to do the same, but she noticed Cory was sitting on the other side of her boyfriend.

Casey noticed Angela and widened her eyes to herself.

She quickly got up and offered her seat to Angela. Angela thanked her and Casey sat across from the rugged boy.

_This might be harder than I thought… _Casey acknowledged to herself. _A _lot _harder._


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm so tired… Why can't I fall asleep? _

_**Because you haven't told her yet. **_

_Who's that? _

_**Your conscience. **_

_Oh, great. Not you again._

_**I Resent that! Now listen here, bub. You better tell Angela about Casey or this will eat away at you for the rest of your life. You need to tell her that you got together with her because you thought she was never ever coming back. **_

_It's a lot harder than that…_

_**Bull! In the morning when you two are having a quiet breakfast together, break it to her gently.**_

_And what happens if I screw this up like almost everything else in my pathetic life?_

_**Hey! It's my life too, ya know? I live within you. We're a packaged deal here. Now don't make me bring God into this. He'll set you straight and you don't want a lecture from the Almighty, do ya?**_

_No, sir! _

_**Good. Now what're you going to do in the morning?**_

_Tell Angela._

_**Good boy! Okay, get some rest, kid. I need it myself too.**_

_Goodnight, conscience._

_**Goodnight, Shawnie.**_

_Shawnie… That's what Cory calls m- Oh. My. God. My conscience is Cory._

_**No! I'm not Cory! **_

_Oh, well-_

_**I just have Cory's voice.**_

_GOOD. BYE._

_**Nighty-night! **_

_Thank, God…_

_**Hello!**_

_Gah! Go away! _

_**Okay, okay. I'm goin', I'm goin'.**_

_Thank you._

_Maybe now I can get some sleep…_

* * *

Shawn took a large spoonful of his cereal. Angela was sitting across from him at the counter. Even in the morning she still looked so beautiful. Her hair was pushed to the side and without any make-up on her face, she still glowed with beauty.

He looked down at his almost empty bowl.

He was still battling himself over spilling the truth to Angela. He didn't want to upset her and he honestly didn't think it was such a big deal.

But maybe it was or he would have told her about it already.

_C'mon, Shawn. Why can't you just tell her?_

_**How long is this going to take, Hunter?**_

_Not now, conscience. I'm thinking._

_**Don't get a brain cramp!**_

_Leave._

_**Alright…**_

Sighing to himself, he stood up and put his bowl in the sink.

Angela looked at him with concern. "Is something wrong, Shawn?" She asked him.

Shawn leaned his hands down on the sink's edge. He looked down into the shiny surface and sighed yet again. He glanced back at his girlfriend and nodded. "Yeah…" He began. "Yeah, there is."

"Well, what is it?"

He sat back down and looked at her with full confidence.

"There's something you need to know, Angela. You know Casey, right?"

At the mention of her new friend, Angela gave a small smile. "Yeah. I know Casey."

"See, Casey had a crush on me that I didn't know about until a few days ago. She kissed me and I was in a bad place. I was missing you so much, Angela, and I didn't think you were ever coming back because of how my life has been going, it just seemed impossible."

Angela stared at Shawn, not uttering a single word.

Shawn continued slowly.

"So, I went down to Casey's job to talk to her about the kiss. She had been ignoring me. I thought that if I got together with her, I could get over losing the love of my life, but I still felt bad and then you came back and I broke it off with her. She understood and she's really a good person. Don't blame her for any of this. She didn't mean it."

Exasperated, Angela got up and stormed into the living room. Shawn heaved a desperate sigh and followed her.

"Ange-"

"Don't. I'm mad at you." She huffed with crossed arms as she sat on the couch.

"Angela, I'm sorry. I didn't think you were going to come back. I thought you would have moved on…"

"Shawn, what was the point of never saying goodbye? We said we loved each other instead. That wasn't goodbye. You should have known I was going to come back. I love you. Why wouldn't I come back to the best thing that's ever happened to me?" She said with hurt and confusion in her dark irises.

Shawn sat down beside her and held her hand. She yanked it away from him and he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"You just _what?_" Angela narrowed her eyes and stared at him.

"I just didn't think. I'm really sorry. It was the exact same day. I started going with Casey and then you showed up. I completely forgot about her when I saw you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me too and I don't wanna screw this up for us again. Not this time. Not ever. I want to be with you. I want to be with you for the rest of our lives."

"Shawn, it sounds like to me that you're-"

"Angela, marry me." Shawn solicited, breaking off Angela's sentence.

Angela stared at him. She didn't know what to say.

All she could manage to say was, _"What?"_

"Marry me. We don't have to get married right away, but I want to marry you. There's no other person on the face of this godforsaken planet that I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. Please, Angela? We can work at this. I just hope you get passed the stupid thing I did while you were gone. Please?" Shawn beseeched.

Angela looked at him for a long time, thinking of what she had just heard him say. She was speechless but there is one thing she would have to say.

"Yes."

She didn't know she had said it at first until she witnessed the look on Shawn's face go from a pleading, begging expression to one of pure joy. He jumped up and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her face over and over again, earning a few giggles from her.

Angela smiled and pulled his face to hers. She gave him one of the deepest and most passionate kisses she has ever given him before in his life. Shawn almost went weak in the knees, but he steadied himself as he wrapped his arms around his lovely new fiancée.

He looked deep into her brown eyes and smiled as they broke away from one another.

"I love you so much." He said, out of breath.

"I love you too, Shawn." Angela told him, resting her hand on his cheek where it was rough from his beard.

Shawn laid his hand over hers and they looked at one another with pure affection.

_**Way to go, kid.**_

_Thanks._

* * *

That night after talking about it, Shawn let Angela decide if she wanted to stay for Christmas or go back to Europe. She had decided to stay and leave on December 26th and go back to be with her father.

She had called him and told him what she was going to do.

Of course, Alvin Moore was hoping to spend time with his daughter. He knew she was coming back until their year was over in Europe. He was a bit impressed that Shawn had talked her into coming back. He knew he liked that boy.

But he still wanted to have Christmas with Angela.

With that thought, he had requested three days away from the country. After all night persuading those awful people that made him come here in the first place, they finally agreed that he could be off for three days in the United States, but he had to return the morning after Christmas.

He took that chance. All he had to do was wait until he could go and see his daughter.

He wasn't going to miss Christmas with his baby girl.

There was no way in Hell he was.

* * *

"Did you sleep well, my dawling?" Cory genuinely asked his wife as she came out into the living room.

She stretched and nodded with a warm grin.

"I did. A lot better than the last few nights." She admitted.

Cory lifted his brow. "Why? You were having trouble sleeping? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was nothing, Cory. I just kept having this nightmare. I felt a lot better after I talked to Shawn yesterday about it." She responded casually, going to pour herself some coffee.

Cory drifted quickly into the kitchen after her.

"Why'd you talk to Shawn? I'm your husband. You could've came to me."

"I know, but the dream was about Shawn and me. I needed to talk to Shawn about it."

"You dreamt about my best friend? What did he do to you? Did he touch you in places that only I can touch?" He countered, lowering his gaze and popping up his right eyebrow.

Topanga chuckled at him and took a sip of her hot coffee. "No, Cory. It was a nightmare. Not a fantasy."

"Then what? What happened?" He demanded.

"He killed me."

"He killed you?"

"Yeah, it was just one of those dreams. After I talked to him about it, they stopped. That's all I really needed." She explained vaguely, walking back out into the living room. She sat down on their sunflower yellow-colored sofa and propped her slippers atop the coffee table.

She crossed her ankles and Cory stood in front of her. Well, more so beside her legs as he wasn't sitting down.

"Why would Shawn want to kill you in a dream?"

"Why would _you _want to kill _Shawn_ in a dream?" She rejoindered to him..

Cory screwed his face and didn't say anything. He just left to get dressed.

* * *

_Alrighty, Stuart. You can do this. Just casually go up to her and ask her out. She'll probably say yes. You're an okay guy. You're swell! _

_Oh, who am I kidding? There's no way a beautiful woman like her would ever want to go out with a dweeb like me. I just might as well face the facts. I'll never be with wonderful looking women. It's just a fact of human nature at this point. _

_**Minkus. Ask the girl out. **_

_That's strange. My conscience has taken on a new voice. It's not Mr. Feeny anymore._

_**That's right, you weirdo. It's Shawn's voice now. Now go up to her and ask her out! **_

_But conscience, I can't. She's too-_

_**She's a girl. Ask her out. You won't know if she'll say yes or no unless you do it. Now go or I'll contact Shawn's conscience and persuade him to tell Shawn to come beat you up.**_

_No! Anything but that!_

_**THEN GO!**_

After battling with his own conscience, Minkus gradually made his way over to the brunette. She was having her lunch break at the café. Minkus' lunch break was, thank God, at this time too. He was lucky enough to have run into her here, of all the places in New York.

He cleared his throat as he stood in front of her.

She peered up at him and gave a balmy smile.

"Minkus, right?" She asked him.

"Stuart Minkus, but you can call me whatever you want." He responded nervously.

Casey chuckled lightly.

"What can I do for you, Stuart?" She said to him as she took a quick sip of her cappuccino.

"Oh, yes, um, I was just curious…" He started to become tense and his palms started to sweat. He wasn't used to talking to beautiful girls, especially one so kind.

Casey waited for him to get his words out, but she could tell he was having trouble.

"Yes…?" She asked.

Clearing his throat once again, Minkus said, "I was just wondering if you would like to go on a delightful evening with me? We could go see a movie or visit a museum or something to that nature. I'd love to take you. Anywhere. Anywhere at all if you'd like."

Casey blinked.

She just met this boy yesterday. Of course, he was one of Topanga, Cory, Angela and Shawn's old classmates and they knew him, but she didn't. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to this proposal. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered, offended or just plain neutral about it.

But she was definitely flabbergasted.

Minkus waited for her answer, but after a moment of awkward silence, he could tell she was mulling it over longer than he had expected. Maybe it was just a stupid idea to even ask her out in the first place. What did his Shawn-like conscience know anyhow?

He looked downcast and mumbled, "Nevermind. I understand if you don't-"

"I'd love to." Casey interrupted him, earning a shocked expression from the young nerdling.

"You'd… You'd _love _to?" He asked, still stunned.

She gave him a warm smile. "Yes, Stuart, I'd love to. I was just really taken aback for a moment there. I wouldn't mind going out on a date with you. You seem very nice and smart. I like that in a guy." She told him, taking another sip of her beverage.

"Oh, thank you so much." He thanked her desperately.

"It's no problem. Where would you like to go?"

"The Brooklyn Museum is a wonderful place to visit. I've been there countless times and it's really beautiful to see all the art they have there." Minkus suggested.

"Sounds wonderful. We can go early so we can spend the whole day there. When do you want to go?"

"Wednesday. I'm off then from work."

"So am I. That's a great day actually, to go. What time should I be ready?"

"Well, the museum opens at 11 a.m."

"I'll be ready by 10. We can get there and spend the rest of the day there. It sounds like it'll be a great day." She grinned.

"Oh, and we can stop by Peter Luger. It's this superb restaurant in Brooklyn. We can eat there for dinner once we leave the museum."

"Sounds like a plan, Stuart." Casey chuckled. "Would you like to join me for lunch right now?"

Minkus sat down and for the rest of their lunch break, they chatted casually. Casey was actually really impressed my Minkus. He seemed so intelligent and very gentle. Not like most guys she's ever met.

Maybe a date with him might help her get over Shawn and she might actually have a really nice time with him. She was hoping to at least. She really wanted to.

* * *

"When do you want to tell them?" Angela asked her new fiancé.

"Let's not rush into this. We haven't even gotten you an engagement ring yet."

"Shawn, I don't need a ring. I'll get one when I marry you. But we should still tell our friends and I need to tell my father when I go ba-"

Shawn put his hand up to her mouth, stopping her from talking.

"No rushing, Angela. I don't want to rush. We can't tell anyone yet."

Angela looked at him with confusion.

"Why? Are you ashamed or something?"

Shawn sighed and got off the couch.

"No, I'm not ashamed. I love you. Why would I be ashamed of loving you?"

"I don't know, Shawn. Why would you be?" Angela spat.

"I just don't want everyone to be in our business about this. We need to plan everything out first before we tell them."

"And since when do you like planning things out?"

"I just don't want to be like Cory and Topanga. That was one of the biggest messes I've ever seen."

"But they're happy now."

"I know, but if we tell them, they'll want to know when and why and all these other things that I don't really have the patience to be answering. I just want to spend these last few days with you until you leave. When you get back, maybe we'll be ready and we can just elope in Vegas or something." Shawn said as he bent down and grasped her hands with his own. He was half joking about Vegas, which is why Angela smirked at him with amusement.

"Okay, Shawn. We won't tell them, but I am going to tell my father. He has a right to know that his daughter is going to be taken for the rest of her life."

Shawn's nerves started to tense up and on the inside he was really frightened. Angela's father was a very strict man and very tough. He could snap Shawn in half like a twig if he was motivated enough to. Asking for his only daughter's hand in marriage would probably set him over the edge, but maybe him liking Shawn would calm him down.

Maybe Shawn was just being a bit too paranoid.

He's mentioned wanting to marry Angela before. Alvin said if they could support themselves and that Shawn could give her everything she needed, it'd be okay and that he'd step aside.

Shawn _was _giving Angela everything she needed. He was giving her a chance to be with her father again, he was going to give her a husband and possibly some kids in the future. He was going to give her a home when she came back from Europe.

He'd be giving her a lot of things that she wanted and needed.

There's no way Sergeant Moore could possibly be upset over all that.

"Okay. You can tell your dad, but _only _your dad." Shawn strictly told Angela.

She agreed with a nod and kissed him.

"Thank you, Shawn."

He smiled and leaned over as they started to kiss again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hi, guys! I can see I've had about a dozen people review this story. I just wanted to say, thank you oh so very much for doing so. It really makes my day when you guys review. My life isn't exactly perfect and I do have a lot of depressing days. I just wanted you guys to know that I really love getting your feedback on my story. It means the world to me that people actually like it. **

**I just wanted to thank you all again for reviewing. If you have any ideas for my story, I'll happily read them and try and fit them in if I think they'd work out well in the story. **

**Bye, bye for now! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Becoming a tad overwhelmed, Minkus thought that maybe she had ditched him. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened. He can name countless incidents in which he was stood up.

Sighing and twiddling his thumbs over one another, he waited outside Casey's apartment building.

She was running a bit late and Stuart almost left, but then he heard her shout, "Wait! Wait, I'm here!" He turned around and saw her putting on her left shoe as she exited the building. "Sorry, I'm late. My alarm clock didn't go off on time," she apologized.

Minkus stared at her a second then shook his head.

"That's okay. Are we all set to go?" he asked her.

She gave a hearty grin and nodded.

Minkus walked with her down the sidewalk as they made their way to the subway. Going down the flight of stairs, they hurried to catch the train before it left. Allowing Casey to enter first, Minkus was about to step on when the train suddenly began to move. The doors started to close and he ran after the train, trying to get on.

Casey's eye expanded and she reached out her hand quickly but she knew Minkus wouldn't catch up in time, so she jumped off, landing awkwardly on the pavement. Stuart caught up to her and helped her up gently. She dusted herself off and sighed.

"We missed the train. How can we get there now? We certainly don't have any extra money for a taxi with the museum being that far from here. And the next train to get there isn't running until about three more hours."

"Oh, this is all my fault. I'm not as athletic as most men. I should've been able to have caught up to the train. No wonder my father is usually disappointed in my physical abilities." Minkus was sounding sorry for himself; complaining on how he's more of a nerd and a dork rather than a normal man.

Casey grabbed his hands and looked at him.

"Don't say those things. Not everyone can be athletic. We don't have to go to the museum today. We can go some other time."

"Okay . . . But what about our-"

Casey smirked.

"Let's just go to a bar. They have karaoke! It'll be fun," she reassured him.

Minkus was skeptical but gladly agreed and Casey wisped him away as he couldn't help but smile to himself.

* * *

_Boring. _

_Boring._

_Lame._

_Seen it already._

_Boring._

_Ugh, why is _this _on again?_

_BOOOOO! _

_Can't there be anything on the TV today? There's never anything good on!_

"_Duck season!"_

"_Wabbit season!"_

"_Duck season!"_

"_Wabbit season!"_

"_Duck season!"_

"_Wabbit season!"_

"_Wabbit season!"_

"_Duck season!"_

"_Wabbit season!"_

"_I say it's duck season and I say, 'fire'."_

Eric grinned as Bugs and Daffy began to argue with one another. It was a classic cartoon scene and being that it was, it made Eric giddy that he had finally found something worth watching.

As he continued to laugh and giggle and smile at the immaturity that circulated within the Looney Tunes characters and episodes, he began to remember a long time ago when he and Cory would get up early on Saturday mornings and watch them together.

Those times seemed so long ago. Now he rarely spends time with his brother. Yeah, they hang out, but it's usually when it's with other people. And although they spent some time together trying to get those gifts done for everyone, he still felt like he had missed something.

Cory seemed aggravated with him most of the time and they didn't really get along much.

Trying to figure out why, Eric began to pace around his apartment.

_What was it that made us so distant? Was it me? Was it him? Was it something one of us did that we don't realize had effect on our brothership? _

That's when a light bulb formed. Even with his stupid antics and ways, Eric wasn't completely useless. He could have his own smart tendencies. This was one of those moments.

Running to the phone, he dialed his parents' house.

The phone rang three times before Morgan answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Morgan, where's dad?"

"He's—"

"Go get him. I need to talk to him," Eric interrupted.

Morgan rolled her eyes.

"What's it to me?"

"Just do something nice for your big brother, Weasel," he mocked.

Morgan smiled to herself at the nickname he would call her occasionally. "Okay," she said. "I'll go get him." She set the phone down and hurried to the backyard. Alan was repainting the fence. He remembered doing that before after Cory had accidently painted it green. The memory made him smile and he stroked the paint brush gently as the fence started to turn a brighter shade of white.

Morgan walked up to her father and tapped his shoulder.

"Eric's on the phone. He said he really needs to talk to you."

"Why?" Alan questioned, continuing to recoat the fence.

"He didn't say. He sounded like he needed to talk to you badly though," Morgan explained, waiting for her father's response.

Alan put the paint brush down and grabbed a wash cloth on his way into the kitchen. He took some of the paint off his hands and grabbed the phone as he went to the phone on the wall.

"Eric, what do you need, son?"

"Dad!"

"Mmm, yes?" Alan responded into the phone.

"I was wondering, is there anything that me and Cory did when we were younger that made us seem so . . . distant?"

"Well, Eric, I don't think you and Cory are distant. You moved to New York with him and you see him a lot. At least you're not like me and your Uncle Howard. We're still not really on speaking terms. I've tried calling him, but I think he's still mad at me for—"

"Yeah, yeah, dad. I just want to know about me and Cory. I'm not interested in the Uncle Howard situation. I already know about it."

"Son, just talk to your brother. Brothers fight, but you two seem close enough to resolve anything that has happened between the two of you."

Eric glanced around his apartment.

"Thanks dad . . . I guess . . ."

"Look, just talk to Cory. Maybe you're just being paranoid. Why're you bringing this up anyway?"

"He just seems mad at me a lot of the time. I even saved his life! He was grateful for a second then later on he still looks as me as if I'm the town idiot."

"Eric, you're not an idiot."

"Dad, let's face it. I am an idiot. I'm a complete moron. People have always said that about me." Eric sighed as he sat down on the couch, running his hand over his beautiful, brown locks. "I finished college, but I had to take a year off because I was too much of an imbecile to get into any _real _colleges. I can't amount to anything."

Alan felt awful for his son.

He never really grasped the concept of Eric going out into the real word. He just didn't think his eldest son was cut out for it. He wanted to keep him close to home and let him work at the store, but he realized Eric would be alright. Eric was always alright once he got used to things.

"Eric, you're not a moron. You're very smart in your own . . . special way. You're not useless and you can be whatever you want to be. Just . . . don't be a model . . ."

Eric gave a small, sighed chuckle.

"Yeah, I think I'm done with modeling. That experience has left me with my mind made up about that."

"Now see? You've learned through and experience. People who are stupid, don't learn. They just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. You're not stupid, Eric. You just need experience."

"But dad, Cory will still always look at me as if I'm a moron . . ."

"Your brother's being the moron. He needs to learn some things too. You guys just need to talk it out and figure out what's wrong."

Alan smiled as he heard Eric thank him and say goodbye.

Eric hung up his phone and Alan returned his back to the wall.

As he turned around, he was greeted by his wife, Amy. She was smiling at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Mmm, who was that?" she questioned, shooting up one of her eyebrows. "Was it our son, Eric?"

Alan nodded.

"It was our son, Eric," he said in a low tone.

Amy chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're a good dad." She complimented him. "You really handled that well."

"Do you even know what we were talking about?"

"I . . . heard a little bit of the conversation from the phone in the living room."

"Amy!" Alan gasped with fake surprise.

"Oh, hush up," she said, placing her palms on his chest and looking up at him. "I just wanted to see if my baby was okay."

"I assure you, darling, that our son will be just fine."

"I know he will, Alan. I have faith in him."

Alan grinned weakly down at her.

"I do too . . ."

* * *

He watched him closely.

He noticed how his eyebrow would twitch slightly and the way he'd run his hand over his peppered hair. The older man's lips would move up and down in a calming motion and he'd keep his hands folded on top of his desk as he stared directly back at him.

Cory raised a brow and rubbed his chin in thought.

He'd been watching many different news channels whenever he wasn't trying to sell magazines—which he doesn't succeed in a lot of the time.

The reason he was studying a lot of the news people was because he'd found some of his old recordings from high school. He even found the one that got Janitor Bud fired a few years back. He never could recall why he'd kept it.

While Cory rummaged through the box, he found the "CHICK LIKE ME" article. He read it over and suddenly, all these dreams of becoming a news reporter or a journalist came flooding back to him.

He remembered how, when he was younger, he wanted to become a baseball player, but he abandoned that dream. Most little boys do dream of becoming a big sports star, but life got in the way for Cory. Then we he got into journalism and filming things, he wanted to do news-related things.

But he had abandoned that dream too . . .

"Why did I ever do that?" Cory asked out loud and to himself.

He flipped the channel to a different news station and watched the woman reporter on there instead.

With his old dreams setting themselves back inside his mind, he got up quickly and ran out the door.

* * *

**Author's Note: This was unbelievably short, I know. I do apologize for that. And I know I haven't updated in awhile, I'm sorry about that too. I just got really busy and I hope to continue to type more chapters of this story. Just know, writer's block hits me a lot and if I don't update for a long period of time, that doesn't mean I've abandoned the story, it just means I'm **_**trying**_**, but it takes time.**

**Also, you might have noticed the difference in how I type the dialogue and such. That is because I realized I was typing it wrong, so I will continue to do that correctly. **

**Thank you to all that reviewed! I do appreciate and adore the feedback! **


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